


My knight in Boney armor

by Bunn_4_All



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Art, College, Enough fluff to cause cavaties, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Karaoke, Mentions of Anime and Manga, Mentions of Mettaton - Freeform, No Sex, OC is shy, Older Frisk, Original Character has emotional issues, Post-Pacifist Route, Sans is a College Professor?!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-05-25 21:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 53,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6210334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunn_4_All/pseuds/Bunn_4_All
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hazel Griggs is a sophomore at Willowbrook College, and is sympathetic to the cause of reintroducing monster-kind into the surface's society. When Willowbrook is chosen as the first college to allow monster students and faculty, as happy as she was, she knew it wouldn't be easy for humanity to accept such a huge step. And as she gets to know Frisk, her new roommate, as well as the big-hearted (if a tad overbearing...) skeleton monster Papyrus, and his brother Sans, she realizes that her new friends are more than she could ever ask for. But she wonders... Does she deserve them?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which the story begins

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! First story on here, as well as my first Undertale fanfic... If I make any mistakes, I apologize...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found some time to update my older chapters. It will take a bit, but here's to hoping MAYBE I can get inspired to work on this story again??
> 
> * Working on this old fic fills you with DETERMINATION!

Hazel Griggs heaved a large sigh as she stood in her room at Willowbrook College's C dorm. The sigh was then followed by an agitated growl, that had probably reverberated throughout the entire hall, and onto the rest of the house-like dormitory. However, even if it had it would not have bothered anyone. No one but Hazel was currently there at the present moment in time. It was a week until the beginning of the next semester and the other students were still on vacation with their families. Thus, here she stood, practicing her painting in her room which was all hers. Her shoulder length hair in her long fingers with an almost death grip, she glared in annoyance at the pre-sketched portrait atop her easel.

It was a simple doodle of a vase of fake flowers from the living room downstairs. However, a long smear of blue paint was now staining the poppies, of which, were supposed to be red.

Thank you, oh dust particles, for the sneeze messing up her work. Glowering, she exhaled and grabbed something to remove it with.

At least, she would have, had the dorm's doorbell not chosen to chime at that moment.

Fixing one last piercing stare at the portrait, she grumbled, "Just you wait... I'm not done with you yet," before turning to leave. Pulling off her painting smock, which once was a nice beige, she threw it on a wooden chair by her matching desk and raced out the room. Rushing down the two flights of stairs, she cursed the fact of living in such a big dorm. It was a journey and a half just to answer the door! Finally reaching downstairs, she straightened her appearance as much as possible. The stains of dried paint on her fingers weren't coming off as easily, so she ignored it in favor of opening the door.

It was the Dean of Willowbrook, Ms. Harper. She studied her clipboard with a stern glance, looking up at Hazel with a frustrated expression. Instantly, Hazel felt skittish as she muttered a faint hello. The dean softened her glare at Hazel's timid greeting, giving her a kind smile instead. "No worries Miss Griggs, I'm not mad at you, its just a few... well, I came to forewarn you of the scheduled tour for the new students arriving here shortly. I came to look in and see if you were able to keep the dorm clean all by yourself."

Hazel was a bit startled. That was today?

"Yes, ma'am. Would you... care to see?"

"Certainly."

Letting the Dean in, she closed the door. "Would you like something to drink while your here, Mrs. Harper?" she asked quietly.

"Thank you, but I'm alright... Now, let's see..." Ms. Harper swiped a finger along the baseboard and inspected it. "A bit dusty, but not too bad for being here alone for two weeks." Wandering through the rest of the house with Hazel following and taking mental notes, she continued to point out the small things like dust, or misplaced items.

Turning with a small smile towards Hazel, Mrs. Harper concluded with, "Okay. I believe that's all." Smiling, she added, "For just you, this place is pretty clean... I'm impressed. I'm sure our guests will be too once you manage to fix up the rest." She then paused.

"... Ms. Harper?" Hazel inquired.

Snapping out of it, she grinned. "So, I wanted to keep this a secret, but seeing as the tour is in a few hours anyways and you will find out sooner or later, I think it would be alright to tell you this..." Clearing her throat, she continued, "I'm sure you have heard of Frisk Dreemurr, and her cause to bring monsters into normal society over the past near deacade. And I'm also sure you know that progress has been... a bit slow."

Hazel nodded, curious as to where this was going.

"Well... as it so happens, Willowbrook has been chosen to be the first human-run college to ever accept monster-kind into their student body and staff. Harvard and Princeton are still stuck in the stone age… Oh well, their loss, our gain." Ms. Harper's green eyes seemed to almost glow with pride. And Hazel could see why. Monsters were still big news, even after a decade of being freed from Mount Ebott! "Miss Dreemurr will be alongside our new students, and a new Physics professor will be with them. He has also taken on the task of being the new moniter for Dorm C, as Miss Dreemurr will be staying here.

Hazel's golden eyes were wide with shock. "Ah-Are you serious?" She then smiled a bit, "This is amazing news! I'm glad for both our school and the monsters!"

Brushing a stray blonde hair that had gotten free of her bun out of her face, Ms. Harper beamed. "It's good to see someone as enthusiastic about this as me. A few of the staff... Well, let's just say they weren't too happy. But, we will have rules in place for both the sakes of monsters and humans, so hopefully things won't get too out of hand..."

Hazel smiled wider. "Don't worry Ms. Harper. I'll do my best to make sure they feel welcome!"

...Or at least she hoped she could.


	2. Of First Impressions and Bad Jokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel meets the great Papyrus, and gets to know a bit about the new professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Just kind of winging it here...

After cleaning up the dust and other tasks around the dorm, Hazel took a quick shower to scrub of the paint from her body and to look presentable when the new students-to-be arrived. After all, how often was it that a new race of beings would start to attend a college that she attended as well? This was a day that would go down in history, and she wanted to make sure she didn't botch up her first introduction by looking dirty. First impressions were important, right?

Putting on a nice sundress in orange and red tie dye, she slipped on some sandals and added a red butterfly clip to her hair. She pulled a black shawl to cover her shoulders, seeing as the weather was getting cold little by little. Maybe she looked childish, but it was the nicest thing in her small closet. She normally wore bell bottom jeans(regardless if they were out of style, they were comfy!), and a random T-shirt.

Adjusting her oval black-framed glasses, she went downstairs to fix some lemonade as refreshments for the tour group. She didn't have the time or stuff to make it homemade, so she used a powder mix. Hopefully they wouldn't mind.

After setting three pitchers of lemonade inside the dorm fridge to chill, she picked up a copy of The Ancient Magus Bride: volume 1 and sat in the living room to wait. She liked manga a tad more than books anyways. Don't get her wrong, Hazel loved a good book every now and then, but she liked studying the artwork in manga while reading the story line more. It inspired her to practice drawing new things, and a lot of the images were beautiful.

This one just happened to be her new favorite series.

She was just getting into the story when the door bell rang for the second time that day. Inwardly panicking, she jumped up and ran to the door with the manga unknowingly still in hand.

Opening the door, she was met by Dean Harper yet again. Behind her stood a young woman whose face was almost as well known as the monster celebrity Mettaton, Frisk Dreemurr, and an assortment of beings she had never seen the likes of before all with varying features. A few humans were there too, but they stood towards the back, clearly uncomfortable with the other half of the group.

"Ah! Miss Griggs, there you are. This is the group I told you of that would be touring the campus today. Would you please introduce yourself?"

Hazel gulped. She was never good with crowds. She normally just avoided talking to other students and focused on her assignments.

But when the dean wants you to introduce yourself, you really had no choice in the matter.

"H-h-hello... I-I'm Hazel Gr-Griggs... I-I am a sophomore h-here at Willowbrook... Pl-pleased to meet yuh-you..."

Her face bloomed red when a few of the humans in the back of the group snickered.

Great, not only did she make a fool of herself in front of everyone, she probably made the monsters think she was afraid of them... Which in a way she was, but only because she didn't want to look stupid in front of them.

Too late for that…

"HELLO HAZEL! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM PLEASED TO MEET YOU AS WELL!" said a somewhat booming voice from the crowd of monsters.

Seeing who had spoken to her, Hazel's eyes widened.

A tall, and did she mean tall, skeleton monster stepped forward and extended his gloved hand to Hazel. She barely reached mid chest compared to him, and she was five foot six! He could easily be near seven feet tall!

His clothes consisted of a strange costume of sorts. But on him, it seemed to work. He almost looked like a super hero of some kind. The red scarf acted as a perfect cape, billowing elegantly behind him.

Hazel froze. She had never been so close to a monster before. Actually, she'd never even seen one in person...

But... He seemed nice... Or she assumed it was a he... She hoped she wasn't wrong.

Gently smiling, she took his offered hand with her free one and shook it.

Little did she know, Frisk was watching with a smile of her own, her mahogany brown eyes shining.

Clearing her throat, Dean Harper spoke.

"Well, let's commence with the tour shall we?"

Hazel released the skeleton monster's hand with a smile, and stepped aside to allow the group in.

Heading towards the kitchen, she pulled out the lemonade and a stack of paper cups while the group looked around. The kitchen had every cooking utensil known to man, and two fridges. Lots of students stocked up on snacks for studying, Hazel included. The extra fridge was kind of necessary. A table sat in the center, big enough for six people to sit at, but it doubled as extra counter space.

Still, compared to the amount of students in the dorm currently, it still wasn't big enough. But everyone ate at different times, usually ordering out, so there normally wasn't an issue with who all was in the kitchen at one time.

Pouring lemonade into the cups, she turned to grab another pitcher when she saw a shadowy figure standing there.

She jumped a bit, but didn't scream.

Clutching her chest in a vain attempt to stabilize her racing heart, she noticed it was another skeleton monster. Albeit, a much shorter one. A few inches shorter than her even. He had on a blue coat with fuzzy lining on the hood, a white shirt, black basketball shorts, and to top it off, pink fuzzy slippers.

"Yo. A bit jumpy aren't we?" he said in a deep voice.

"S-s-sorry... You startled me is all..." Hazel stumbled out.

"Well, _tibia_ -nest, I didn't have the _guts_ to announce myself."

She stopped for a second, then let out a chuckle.

"Wow... No offense, but that was terrible... Still, it was kinda funny. Oh! I-I mean..."

He shrugged.

"Nah, it's cool. Not everyone gets my fantastic sense of humor." He said with a teasing wink.

Smiling, she then moved to get the next pitcher of lemonade.

"I saw you met my little brother." he then said out of nowhere.

Pouring another cup, she guessed he was talking about the other skeleton.

Papyrus, was it?

"Do you mean the one who called himself Papyrus? Yes. He was very nice to help me like that. I m-mean... I've never met a monster before, but... I want to see the relationships between human and monsters improve even more so now, especially if you all are nice like that..." she then paused, thinking she had been a bit too outspoken, and continued with, "Sorry... I just... Say stupid things sometimes..."

Offering him a cup of lemonade, she hoped he wasn't going to take what she said the wrong way. It wouldn't be the first time someone misunderstood something she said.

"You said you wanted to see them improve even more now... Does that mean you support Frisk's ideas?"

"Y-yes."

His grin seemed to widen a bit more. Taking the offered lemonade, he raised it as if to propose a toast.

"Well, here's to hoping they come true."

She nodded with a relieved smile. He didn't seem offended, so apparently she hadn't messed up... Yet.

Turning to pour more cups, she grew curious.

"Aren't you going to rejoin the tour? Not that I'm trying to get rid of you or anything..."

"Nah. Since when did the new Quantum Physics teacher need a tour of the dorms?"


	3. Of Lemonade and Bombshells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk gives some astounding news to Hazel.

When the tour of the dorm finally came to an end, Hazel stood at the front door with the refreshments sitting on a small table. The shorter skeleton monster, who introduced himself as Sans, was seated in the living room just within eyesight. He seemed to have passed out on the plush, purple couch...

Shrugging, she then put on a smile as Dean Harper's voice came echoing down the hallway.

"Well, that concludes our exploration of dorm C. If anyone would like a drink, Miss Griggs has some lemonade set out. Help yourselves."

Several of the humans from the group grabbed a cup and sipped at them, however the monsters stared at it like they'd never seen lemonade before...

However, Papyrus stepped forward and cautiously grabbed a cup. Bringing it up to his teeth (considering his lack of lips...), he poured some into his mouth.

Hazel had to be honest, she was curious to see if it would fall out through the hole in his jaw bone, but to her and everyone else watching's surprise, it didn't...

And Papyrus seemed to enjoy the lemonade. Immensely.

"WOWIE! THIS ISN'T HALF-BAD. KIND OF SOUR, BUT NOT EXCESSIVELY. I MIGHT EVEN HAVE TO FIND THE RECIPE FOR THIS."

He seemed awful enthusiastic about the lemonade, and it kind of just made you want to smile. So she did.

"A-actually, it's not the real thing... It's made with real lemons usually, but I didn't have any... This kind is made with a powder mix. But the real stuff taste even better!"

Papyrus looked at her curiously.

"COULD YOU TEACH ME HOW TO MAKE THE REAL LEMONADE SOMEDAY HUMAN HAZEL?"

She blushed. He really wanted her to teach him how to make lemonade? It was easy to make, so it wasn't like she was some master chef.

Heck, she could probably write down how to make it right now.

But the look on his face was oddly adorable... Almost like he was giving her the puppy dog eyes despite his empty eye sockets.

Who could say no to that..?

"S-s-sure! I-i-if you plan on staying, I'd b-be glad to."

"GREAT! AND IN RETURN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO MAKE MY SUPER AMAZING SPAGHETTI!"

She smiled again. His joyous attitude was infectious.

She then noticed a faint orange color dusting the skeleton monster's cheekbones.

Cocking her head to the side, she wondered what that meant.

Papyrus then noticed Sans snoozing on the couch.

"SANS! THERE YOU ARE! GET UP YOU LAZYBONES! YOU HAD ME AND FRISK WORRIED WHEN YOU DISAPPEARED FROM THE TOUR. AND HERE IT IS TIME TO LEAVE! YOU MISSED THE WHOLE THING!"

Stretching like an over sized cat, Sans sent a smile (or rather a bigger one since he seemed to be constantly smiling, even asleep...) his brother's way.

"Sorry bro. Guess I took a little _detour_. I'm just _bone_ weary,so I took a nap."

"ARGH! ENOUGH WITH THE PUNS! CAN YOU _NOT_ DO THAT FOR JUST _ONE_ DAY?!"

"Aw c'mon. I think I'm quite _punny_. Plus I don't think I could _stomach_ it if I couldn't make jokes for a day."

Hiding a chuckle behind her hand as Papyrus groaned in aggravation, Hazel thought that this semester might be fun if these two were around...

Sensing someone behind her, she glanced and noticed Frisk standing there.

"Hello." Hazel said.

Wait... That was _the_ Frisk!

"Hi. I see you've taken a liking to my friends." she said before Hazel could react.

"Y-y-yes... They seem like a lot of fun..."

Frisk smiled while glancing at the skeleton brothers' antics. The rest of the humans in the group had went outside, and the monsters were chatting amongst themselves in the dining area across from the living room. Dean Harper had seemingly vanished for the moment.

"When do you plan on m-moving to the college?" Hazel asked curiously.

"In two days. I think you will be a great roommate."

"H-huh?"

"Didn't Dean Harper tell you? You and I will be sharing a dorm room."

"Re-really? I-I-I... I wasn't told that... But I would love the company."

Frisk smiled again.

Hazel couldn't believe it…

Frisk was going to be her roommate in two days time?!


	4. Of Motherly Monsters and Children's books

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk moves in and Hazel meets Toriel.

Two days had gone and passed since the tour. Hazel had been anxious during that time, but now, as she waited for her new roommate to arrive, she was sure panic would be more accurate for describing her emotional state.

She had never been so close to someone she idolized before... What if she did something stupid and Frisk started hating her? Then what?

A few of the other dorm residents had returned from vacation, and were curious ever since they had heard that there would be monsters on the campus. A few even tried to interrogate Hazel, asking her what the monsters were like. Of course, they were disappointed when she gave a quick ' _they're very nice'_ , and walked away. She didn't like talking too much to most people. She always worried that if she talked too much, she'd say something dumb.

Thus, here she sat in her room, trying to sketch something, anything, to distract her from her thoughts...

The painting of the poppies she had done was currently sitting in the sunlight to dry. The blue paint had been stubborn to remove, but now there were no traces of it. Like it had never happened.

She then remembered the skeleton brothers were arriving too.

The thought of them made her smile... Sans and Papyrus... Right? Yeah. That was their names. Sans was funny with his jokes and lackadaisical manner. Papyrus, even though she hadn't seen as much of him, seemed very kind and flamboyant. Maybe if they were around, this next year at Willowbrook wouldn't be so bad... Even though she highly doubted they would be her friend, she could at least enjoy watching their antics from afar.

Hazel was a bit surprised she remembered their names so well... She was usually terrible at remembering thing like names. One reason she was horrible in History classes back in high school was because she constantly forgot which person did what in where and when... She had the good luck to get most answers correct through guesswork on bubble quizzes, which was how she must have passed. Heaven knows, she didn't remember most of it...

It also carried on into day to day living. If Hazel hadn't known you for at least a week, with a good amount of interaction included, she'd most likely forget your name. Then she would feel bad for forgetting it. So, another reason she didn't talk to most people. She didn't want the awkwardness that would follow after she said, _'I'm sorry, I forgot your name...'_

She would probably only be able to name six celebrities or less correctly without guessing. And those would be because she liked them. She didn't really care for famous people normally. She hated reading magazines because they always had something to say about someone famous doing this or that. Honestly, at the end of the day, they were still people.

She did like Mettaton a bit though. The robot celebrity was always good to his fanbase. He might be a bit overzealous at times, but he always had good intentions.

Hearing a knock on the door to her room, she stood, gulping.

Her fears were justified as Frisk stood outside the doorway with a box in her hands. A feminine looking goat-like monster was behind her.

"H-hi... Do y-you need help carrying anything in-s-side?"

"We got it. But thanks. Mom, this is the girl from the tour I told you about, Hazel. She's going to be my roommate. Hazel, this is my mom, Toriel."

Wait... Frisk had talked about her?!

The goat woman smiled warmly at Hazel. The smile was so kind, it eased her nerves a bit, causing Hazel to give a small smile in return.

Frisk was putting down the first box and moving to go get more. Toriel set down the one she was carrying on the vacant bed, and turned to Hazel before speaking.

"It's okay, dear. Frisk said you were shy, but you don't need to be so around me."

"Thank you Miss Toriel. It's an honor to have your daughter as a roommate... I'm very happy that they are allowing monsters to attend school here..."

"Yes... Sans mentioned you were sympathetic to our cause. Not a lot of humans are unfortunately, but we hope to change that."

"Sans mentioned me too? I didn't think I left such an impression..."

Toriel said nothing, only smiled again, and made to unpack the boxes.

"I can help if you like... That way it gets done faster and you can spend more time with Frisk before you have to leave..." Hazel offered.

"... I would like that. Thank you."

Helping set the heavy text books on the bookshelf with hers, Hazel was asked what she was majoring in by Toriel.

"Heh... Um... I do painting and writing... I.. Want to write books with illustrations in them. Mostly children's books, but maybe a few young adult books too..."

"So that's your painting by the window then?"

"Yes... It's still drying."

"I think it's beautiful... Do you have any ideas for books you might write?"

"I have a few so far... There's one children's book I have started though..."

"What's it called? I'm a teacher back home, so I might want to read it to my students when it's published."

She blushed... Toriel was so kind and motherly... Unlike Hazel's own mom...

"' _ **The Pineapple Princess of Indigo Hill**_ '..."

"If you don't mind my asking, may I hear some of it?"

"Not at all..." She said with a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'The Pineapple Princess of Indigo Hill' is actually a story of my own creation. I was thinking of publishing it myself one day, but I might just put an excerpt or two in the story.


	5. Of Accidents and Making Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel has a bit of an accident, but with a hopefully positive outcome.

After helping Toriel put away Frisk's belongings, Hazel stood before both of them with the starter draft of her first book in her hands.

Both were patiently waiting for her to speak while sitting on Frisk's freshly made bed, so, clearing her throat, she began.

**" 'The Pineapple Princess of Indigo Hill** '..."

Adjusting her glasses, she continued.

_"The pineapple princess of indigo hill had a miraculous talent at standing perfectly still._

_Why a such a fruit? Well, here's a hint. Her clothes always bore a pineapple print._

_Not a true princess, at least not by birth, she had a laugh that was filled with heartwarming mirth._

_Passerby who knew her would stop by her mound, to tell her jokes and delight in the sound._

_The indigo hill had grass that was blue, a shade that was of it's namesake's hue._

_A very small house sat atop of the place. A charming abode that brought a smile to your face._

_This house was the her home, where she lived alone. No mother, no father, no dog with a bone._

_But though she was by herself day by day, kind words and jokes were all she'd say_."

She stopped.

"That's all I have written so far..."

She was surprised when she heard the sound of clapping...

"Well done! I can't wait to read the finished book to my students..." Toriel said.

"It's really cute so far... I'd love to see it published." Frisk added.

"I... I-i.... Th-thank you both.... For saying th-that..." Hazel stammered happily.

"I think you should read it to Papyrus. He loves books like that. His favorite is one about a fluffy bunny." Frisk said.

Wait... A grown skeleton monster reads children's books? That was... Kinda cute...

"I might... If it wouldn't bother him..."

Toriel giggled.

"If he knew you write books like that, Papyrus would insist on you letting him read them." she said.

Hazel smiled. It would be nice to have feedback on her books...

Then a question tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Is he going to stay in the boys dorm on the other side of the house?"

Realizing that she probably shouldn't have asked that since it wasn't her business, she quickly tried to cover up her question.

"S-s-sorry... It's none of my business... You don't have to answer..."

"No. It's perfectly okay Hazel... You don't have to apologize. Yes, Papyrus is staying on the boys side. Sans is going to be here too as a sort of dorm monitor. They hate being separated, so the Dean arranged it to be where they wouldn't be too far apart." Frisk said.

Hazel stopped fidgeting.

"It's too bad Alphys isn't here... I think you two would get along pretty good. Do you like anime by the way? I saw you had a manga in your hands the other day..." she added.

Hazel nodded.

"Yeah. You and Alphys would get along great."

Toriel stood and then hugged Frisk.

"Well, it seems like it's time for me to get going... You have fun with Hazel. Study hard, stay away from alcohol, don't-"

"Mom. It's okay. Sans will keep an eye socket out for me, okay?" Frisk said jokingly.

Toriel smiled and laughed a bit.

Then she turned and hugged Hazel.

Hazel stiffened at first, not used to hugs. But she quickly melted and returned it, albeit, a bit awkwardly...

"It was lovely meeting you Hazel... Look out for my Frisk for me, would you?"

"Of course, Miss Toriel..."

Toriel gave one last smile, then was followed by Frisk outside.

Hazel wondered what her life would have been like if her own mother had been like Toriel. But she quickly dismissed the thought. No point in daydreaming in what could have been when reality would knock her down...

She itched the old scars on her back... A habit she formed when she thought of her past...

Sighing, she noticed that it was still pretty bright outside. Picking up one of her many sketch books, she left the room to go outside and draw.

However, as she got downstairs, she rounded the corner leading towards the kitchen, where the door to the backyard was, and instantly crashed into someone going around the same corner. The box that was in their hands fell, the contents falling out. Hazel landed on her backside, wondering what just happened.

"ACK! MY SPAGHETTI NOODLES!!"

Recognizing the voice, she realized she bumped into Papyrus. His box was filled with smaller boxes of uncooked pasta, which now we're scattered on the floor.

Panicking, she started babbling apologies, even offering to buy him twice as many boxes to fix the ones she might have messed up. She could afford to with what money she had right?

She stopped when the tall skeleton placed a gloved hand gently on her shoulder.

"HUMAN HAZEL, IT'S OKAY. NONE OF THEM ARE DAMAGED, AND EVEN IF THEY WERE, I GOT PLENTY MORE. MORE IMPORTANTLY, ARE YOU OKAY?"

Looking into his eye sockets, which oddly held some warmth despite their being hollow, she took a deep breath...

"I'm okay... Just... Didn't see you turning around the corner..."

Pulling her to her feet with ease, Papyrus smiled.

"GOOD. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULDN'T WANT A POTENTIAL FRIEND TO GET HURT, EVEN IF BY ACCIDENT."

Papyrus then started to pick up the boxes on the floor. Hazel stopped to help him.

"Would you really want to be my friend? I mean..." She didn't continue. She honestly didn't know why she asked. She normally had better control of what she said by saying absolutely nothing...

"ONLY IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND BEING MINE..."

The skeleton had orange on his face again. Was that... A blush?

"Of course... But, if I ever become a bother, um... You can stop being my friend if you want to..."

He then gained an overjoyed expression.

"GREAT! I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO DATE YOU, AND I MADE IT TO THE FRIEND ZONE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

That caught her off gaurd. Date?

But she laughed a bit anyways.

She just hoped she wouldn't mess this up...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't seem to remember the exact name of the book Sans reads to Papyrus... If anyone could tell me it I'd appreciate it...


	6. Of Hot Chocolate and the Funny Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just WHAT is in the hot cocoa from Snowdin?

After spending some time outside practicing drawing the scenery, Hazel had went back to her room to see Frisk passed out on her bed. Her cheeks were a bit wet.

Hazel gently smiled. Frisk must have been hiding her tears from Toriel...

What was it like being sad at the thought of not seeing your mother for a long time? Hazel could only summon a sense of relief with the thought of not seeing her own. But, her father was another story. However, it wouldn't be the kind of missing someone where you knew you would see each other again soon. She never would see him again...

Wiping away a stray tear with the back of her pale hand, she sniffed, but pushed away her thoughts.

She put her stuff away, then went downstairs to the kitchen to find some dinner.

Upon entering the kitchen, she saw both skeleton brothers sitting at the small table, drinking something from coffee mugs. They noticed her instantly.

"Looks like you finally came inside. Good. I was worried you'd get chilled to the _bone_ , kid. Wouldn't want to see you get sick. Might get your teachers a bit _ill_ -tempered at me. Y'know, being your dorm monitor and all."

"SANS, WILL YOU STOP HARASSING PEOPLE WITH YOUR JOKES? IT'S BAD ENOUGH YOU PUT ME THROUGH IT EVERYDAY."

"C'mon, I was just asking her how she was _feline_..."

At first, Hazel didn't get it, and Papyrus didn't either, but then she remembered the cat on the sweater she was wearing.

Letting out a chuckle, she saw Papyrus facepalm and Sans wink at her.

Papyrus glowered at Sans, but said nothing, then smiled at Hazel.

"HUMAN HAZEL, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HOT COCOA? IT'S ALL THE WAY FROM SNOWDIN!"

Wondering if Snowdin was a place from the underground, she nodded.

"I'd... Actually love some. I haven't had cocoa in a long time..."

Which was true. Hazel couldn't really remember the last time she had the warm, chocolaty beverage... She just remembered she had been very little.

"WELL THEN, HAVE A SEAT. WE'D LOVE SOME COMPANY, WOULDN'T WE SANS? FRISK STILL HASN'T COME DOWN, SO WE WERE SITTING HERE WAITING FOR HER."

"Yeah... We were getting kinda..."

"SANS..." Papyrus said in a warning tone.

"... _Bone_ \- ly..."

"ARRGGHHHH!"

Hazel smiled.

"Frisk fell asleep... She looked tired, so I let her be..."

She didn't say anything about the tear trails on Frisk's face. She didn't think Frisk would want them to worry.

"WELL, WE WILL JUST WAIT A WHILE FOR SUPPER. IF SHE ISN'T AWAKE IN AN HOUR, WE'LL JUST GET HER SOMETHING FOR LATER WHEN SHE IS." Papyrus said as he set a mug in front of Hazel.

She smiled. Papyrus was so considerate...

Blowing on the drink to help cool it down, she sipped at it.

Her eyes shot open. This taste... The small sip she took had warmed her to the core, leaving an airy, peaceful feeling pooling in her chest. A bright, genuine smile came to her face.

"HUMAN HAZEL? ARE YOU OKAY? YOUR CRYING AND SMILING AT THE SAME TIME..."

Brushing a hand against her cheek she realized he was right. And it wasn't just one or two tears, it was a gushing mess. But she was still smiling.

"I... I think I am?"

"Don't worry Paps." Sans said with a knowing grin. "She's just overjoyed by the taste of the cocoa."

"Is that it? I feel... So... Happy? I feel like I just want to smile for years... Like a weight is gone of my chest."

"Well, food from the underground is mainly made of ingredients designed to heal the soul. Our hot chocolate is no different."

"Sooo... It's _soul food_?" Hazel joked. Wait... When was the last time she even made a joke?

Sans let out a laugh. It was goofy, and loud, but it made you want to laugh along, which she did. And it wasn't a small chortle, no, it was a joyful giggle. She can't remember feeling so good before...

"Not bad kid... I have successfully turned you to the funny side." Sans said, with a large grin.

"SIGH... IT SEEMS I'VE LOST ANOTHER ONE TO YOUR BAD INFLUENCE SANS... REGARDLESS, HUMAN HAZEL IS STILL DOING MUCH BETTER NOW. THAT MAKES ME HAPPY."

Hazel was a bit surprised. Papyrus barely knew her, and he cared how she was feeling?

She didn't know if it was the cocoa or just the thought of someone caring about her, even a bit, but she smiled even brighter in that moment.

After she finished her cocoa while asking them about what Snowdin was like, she realized she wasn't hungry anymore. Frisk eventually woke up an hour later, and she took that as her cue to give them some privacy. So waving a goodbye, she went back to her room and got ready for bed.

Slipping under her comforter, she almost instantly drifted of to sleep, the cloud of sweet dreams descending on her like a shower of soft feathers...


	7. In which Papyrus wants to see her smile more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus starts wanting to see Hazel genuinely smile more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis short, but I will post the next chapter much more soonish... Promise!

Papyrus had his eye sockets on Hazel as she left to turn in for the night, another bright smile on her face. It was something he had never quite seen before. It was crooked, but so full of joy... It made those intriguing honey colored eyes of hers light up...

She had been so happy after drinking the hot chocolate, even opening up a bit and talked to them about their old home without stuttering. Which was good. He didn't want her to be shy. She seemed like such a nice person. After he first saw her, stuttering when introducing herself, he had wanted to make her feel a bit more confident by introducing himself. Surely being in his presence would improve her mood. And it had, a little.

But tonight, after seeing her true smile, he wanted to see her do it more often. It was just in his nature, he hated seeing others upset...

However, Papyrus knew that she couldn't drink hot chocolate all the time. Besides, that didn't seem the right way to go about it. He wanted her to be able to smile like that without the cocoa.

"-yrus? Pap? PAPS!!"

"HUH...?"

He turned to see his brother and Frisk staring at him.

"Bro... You've been staring at the doorway ever since Hazel left... You okay?" Sans asked.

"I'M FINE. JUST THINKING..."

"What about?" Frisk asked.

"...THAT THE HUMAN HAZEL NEEDS TO SMILE LIKE THAT MORE OFTEN."

Sans looked at his brother in surprise, but then turned his attention to the mug in his hands. Frisk's eyes widened, but she smiled.

"I agree. She needs to come out of her shell. I barely know her, and I can tell from the other students reactions that she doesn't interact much. Plus, she seems to apologize for everything. Like she feels guilty for just being around..." Frisk said sadly.

"She was fine when she asked about what Snowdin was like, even said she thought it sounded like a beautiful place. But that was after drinking our cocoa." Sans explained to Frisk.

"How did she react after first trying it?" Frisk asked.

"SHE WAS CRYING A LOT... BUT SMILING AT THE SAME TIME..." Papyrus explained. He didn't really understand that. He hadn't seen someone react that way before...

Frisk and Sans seemed to understand perfectly though, which slightly annoyed Papyrus. He hated being last to know everything. Frisk and Sans seemed to understand everything almost as soon as it happened. They both were special that way, like they stood apart from everyone else in some strange way. They both seemed to have a secret only they knew...

But Papyrus said nothing. He knew that one day, they would tell him about it.

Hopefully...

After all, Sans still never mentioned anything about their parents...

Mentally shaking his head, Papyrus brushed it off. He had Sans. And Frisk. And all his other friends. He didn't need his parents when he had so much already.

He even had Hazel wanting to be his friend! He may not know much about her, but he aimed to rectify that small technicality. Starting tomorrow, he would make it his goal to understand Hazel better, and make her truly smile all the time or die trying!


	8. Of Early Risers and Sneaky Older Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of fun in the wee hours of the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 8 as promised!

With sunlight streaming through the window and the birds merrily singing their little tunes, Hazel slowly opened her eyes.

Once she realized where she was, she slowly sat up.

She still had another two days before the new semester began, so she had left her cheap phone's alarm off. She would need to reset it when the time came. But for now she could sleep in a bit.

However, she was now up. And once she was up, she stayed up.

If she had to guess, it was about 6:30-ish... She had a habit of rising early. The alarm was usually just a back up. But it was like no matter how late she was up, she was always awake between 6 and 7. And she still functioned just fine...

Of course, she knew it would catch up to her eventually, but for college it sure came in handy...

Tip toeing quietly as not to wake Frisk, Hazel grabbed a pair of her traditional bell bottoms, a white shirt with blue stripes on it, and a light, black jacket. Sneaking to the bathroom, she quickly showered and changed.

Back in the room, she set to putting on her pink socks with her black vans with the pink and white stars, then grabbed her matching backpack that was always stocked with drawing supplies, her medicine, and other odds and ends, then went downstairs.

First order of business? Coffee. Then a breakfast of eggs in a basket.

Quickly brewing some of the heavenly blackish brown liquid, she added a generous amount of sugar and cream in a mug and inhaled the beautiful scent. She loved the smell of coffee beans. Even after they were made into a liquid form. But they were best when she _just_ opens the canister...

Taking a sip of her coffee, she realized she still felt a bit giddy from the hot chocolate last night. However, the effects had dulled overnight.

Running her index finger around the rim of the mug, she glanced thoughtfully into her coffee.

She hadn't felt that happy in a very long time...

Sighing, she glanced up as she heard the front door open.

She wondered who could possibly be up so early besides herself...

Hearing light footsteps heading her way, she looked back at her coffee.

"AH. GOOD MORNING HUMAN HAZEL." came a loud whisper.

Looking up, she saw Papyrus. He wasn't wearing his usual outfit, instead he was wearing what she supposed was exercise clothing.

Were those basketballs...?

"Uhm... G-good morning Papyrus... Sorry... I didn't mean to disturb you if you wanted the kitchen to yourself while everyone else is asleep... I-i just usually wake up early..."

"HUMAN HAZEL, YOU DON'T NEED TO APOLOGIZE SO MUCH... I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS ACTUALLY WONDERING... IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAYBE SPEND THE DAY WITH ME? IF YOU AREN'T BUSY THAT IS..."

Hazel paused... Someone actually wanted to spend time with her...?

"Y-YOU DON'T HAVE TO..."

Hazel instantly noticed the dejected tone in his voice and felt bad.

"I... I don't have anything planned... I would love to hang out with you."

The smile he gave her was so full of joy, she blushed and gave a shy smile in return, feeling good about her decision.

"NYEH HEH HEH! WONDERFUL! LET ME TELL SANS WHENEVER HE WAKES UP, AND WE'LL GO TO THE HUMAN MALL. I HEARD IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO SOCIALIZE! MAYBE HE AND FRISK CAN COME! IF I CALL, UNDYNE AND ALPHYS MIGHT BE ABLE TO COME TOO! METTATON MIGHT BE BUSY... BUT I WILL CALL HIM ANYWAYS!"

Hazel nearly fainted...

The mall?! With all his friends coming along?! She was hoping they'd only be staying at the dorm! Maybe the park close by.. But the mall?!

And did he say Mettaton?! That meant his fans would be going crazy at the mall the instant they saw him!

But she didn't want to say anything to Papyrus... He just looked so happy...

So... She would grin and bear it...

Hopefully her medicine would be strong enough to keep her stable...

That's right... She needed to take it. Especially today if she didn't want to go into a panic attack.

"HAZEL? WHAT'S WRONG? YOU SEEM SHOCKED... IF YOU WANT, WE CAN STAY HERE..."

As much as she would prefer that, she didn't want to ruin his plans because of her stupid fears...

"N-no... I'm just surprised you know M-mettaton so closely..." she lied. Then again, it was kind of surprising. Or maybe not. From what she heard, the monsters had had a close-knit community underground...

Papyrus seemed to buy her lie however.

"OF COURSE I KNOW HIM. ALPHYS WAS THE ONE WHO BUILT METTATON. SHE DATES UNDYNE, WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO COOK." he said as Hazel fished her medicine out of her back pack.

"WHAT IS THAT?" he asked, pointing to the orange bottle.

"Just my medicine. I have to take it twice a day, except in emergencies."

"HUMAN HAZEL, ARE YOU SICK...?" Papyrus' voice was full of worry, and it made her heart break...

He really was kind...

"I guess you could call it that... But it's just in my head... I-!"

Papyrus raised his hand and lifted her chin, tilting her head from side to side.

"HOW CAN YOUR HEAD BE SICK? IT LOOKS NORMAL TO ME... FOR A HUMAN THAT IS..."

She tried to keep the blush from showing on her face, but it was in vain. He was being so sweet...

And he was so close...

"NOW YOUR FACE IS RED! ARE YOU CATCHING A FEVER?!"

"N-n-n-no! I'm... J-just a bit w-warm is all!"

"YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR MEDICINE THEN. WE DON'T WANT YOU TO GET TRULY SICK. AND YOU NEED TO EAT SOMETHING. YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, FEED A FEVER, STARVE A COLD... OR WAS IT THE OTHER WAY AROUND?"

"Papyrus?"

"YES?"

"You have a big heart. F-for a skeleton... Not that that makes it any less true! Just..." Of course, she knew monsters had souls instead of hearts, but...

His cheekbones lit up a glowing orange hue...

"Anyone mind telling me what's going on?"

Jolting at the new voice in the kitchen, Hazel and Papyrus turned to see Sans sitting at the table from last night, a coffee cup in hand.

' _When did he get there?! And how did he get a cup of coffee without us seeing him?!'_ Hazel wondered.

Stepping back and releasing her chin, Papyrus cleared his throat.

"I-I WAS JUST INVITING HAZEL TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH ME AT THE MALL TODAY. I WANTED TO ASK IF YOU WANTED TO COME TOO, SANS."

"Yeah, sure. I don't have to start monitoring or anything until night, so consider me in."

"GREAT! I'M GOING TO GO CALL UNDYNE AND INVITE HER AND ALPHYS. THEN I'LL SEE IF FRISK WANTS TO JOIN WHEN SHE AWAKES."

He turned to leave, then looked back at Hazel.

"REMEMBER TO EAT SOMETHING SO YOU DON'T GET A FEVER."

Hazel nodded an affirmative. She was still in a bit of shock at Sans' sudden appearance, and couldn't open her mouth to speak.

Smiling again, he left the kitchen.

Turning to Sans, she opened her mouth to ask if he could teleport, but closed it. Instead, she walked over to the fridge to get the eggs and bread to make her breakfast.

Cooking, she felt his eyes on her. It kind of creeped her out, but she waved it off.

"Um... Would you like one?" she offered over her shoulder. Just because he was a bit creepy, didn't mean he was a bad guy. She wanted to be his friend too if he wouldn't mind...

After all, she was really starting to like Papyrus. Maybe she could stretch her comfort zone a bit and try to make more friends... With hope that she didn't ruin it of course...

He stayed silent...

Then...

"I'm good."

"What? No jokes this morning?" she said as she put hers on a plate and went to put away the bread and eggs. "I was looking forward to them..."

"You really like my jokes huh? You have _eggscellent_ taste."

Chuckling, she felt the tension lighten a bit.

"Well, I best get _cracking_ if we're going to the mall later. See ya later kid."

Turning to say goodbye, she saw he was already gone...


	9. Of Panic Attacks and A Scary Fish Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess not all things go according to plan...

Standing outside with Sans and Frisk, Hazel waited for Papyrus to return with his car.

Her nerves were going haywire, but she was taking deep breaths to stay calm. She really hated crowded areas, and malls were some of the worst in that category.

Frisk was still a bit tired, but obviously excited to explore the local mall. Sans seemed to not have a care in the world. She envied them a bit. She wished she could be so calm...

But maybe she could get a new manga from the bookstore. She still had about $30 free spending money from her two jobs...

Or maybe... She should save it and just do some window shopping? After all, she might need it later...

Her thoughts were interrupted when a red convertible pulled up, Papyrus in the driver's seat.

She gave the car an admiring glance. She didn't know much about cars, despite the fact her father had been a mechanic. But she could tell that it was well kept, almost new, with a few small scratches.

"I SEE YOU LIKE MY CAR. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CANNOT BLAME YOU. IT IS ALMOST AS IMPRESSIVE AS IT'S OWNER! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Hazel gave a nod and a small smirk. Most people probably thought Papyrus was overconfident in himself. But even if he might have been a tad, she didn't mind. It was perfectly okay to be confident in yourself, as long as you didn't let it turn you into a jerk. And he was the furthest thing from that.

His laugh was cute too...

"It's a beautiful car... It looks like it's new... My dad would've loved seeing this..."

Papyrus must have noticed the sad look in her eye, because he didn't say anything about her last sentence as she got in. Good. She didn't really want to talk about him now...

As the car started moving, the wind was too strong for conversation, so Papyrus turned on the radio. Some random pop song started playing, but it didn't sound too bad, so he kept it there.

Glancing at Papyrus as he drove, Hazel noticed he was wearing a different outfit than usual. No crop top or jean shorts, but cargo pants and a white T shirt with the words 'Cool Guy' written in marker. He still had that red scarf on though, flying in the wind behind him. She wondered if it had a sentimental reason to him...

His gloves were still present too, wrapped around the steering wheel. She still remembered the texture of them when he held her chin earlier. Smooth red leather...

Looking forward, she realized that they were nearly there. She gripped one of the handles of her bag and started twisting it nervously.

Pulling into the parking lot, Hazel felt sweat form on the back of her neck. So many cars... So many people...

She started taking deep breaths.

A lot of people in the parking lot stopped to stare at her. Wait... Not just her. Them.

After all, she was certain a lot of people around here haven't seen a skeleton drive a red convertible with two human women and another, shorter skeleton as passengers.

That still didn't change the fact she hated having all those eyes on her...

Staring at her... Mocking her...

' _Why can't you just die already_?'

"HAZEL? HAZEL!"

She kept breathing but it felt like she couldn't get enough oxygen.

She then felt two arms wrap around her and was pulled into the owner's chest. Fingers started running gently through her hair.

The darkness and soft touch slowly brought her back to reality...

Her breathing slowed, and she pulled up to look at Papyrus, who had been holding her.

Gently pushing back, she noticed Frisk had a phone pulled out and Sans was staring at her, shock on his face. A tall feminine monster covered with blue scales and red hair was trying to divert the crowds attention away from her, while a smaller yellow monster in a lab coat was handing Papyrus a cloth soaked with water.

Feeling him dab at her face, she started crying.

"I-i... I'm sorry... I'm s-s-so sor-rry...!"

She hid her face in her hands. She knew she was being childish, but she really wanted to disappear in that moment...

"HUMAN HAZEL... IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT." Papyrus said in his quietest tone. Which was still sounded like average talking.

"B-but didn't you want to...? The mall... Your friends...?" she hiccupped, peeking cautiously through her fingers. She only saw a tender look on his face...

Sans spoke up.

"They can follow us back to the dorm. We can play some games or something there. But right now, your technically my responsibility, and I think we should get you home."

"Okay..."

Though not officially a teacher just yet, Sans still held a lot of authority. It would be best to listen to him.

The blue fish-woman then walked up.

"So, we'll see you at your place? Sweet!" she said.

Turning to look at Hazel, she grinned, revealing a mouthful of razor sharp fangs.

"Names Undyne, me and my girlfriend Alphys can't wait to hang with you! Even if you are a wimp!"

As Undyne and Alphys walked away, Hazel felt Papyrus restart the ignition.

Oh heaven help her...


	10. Don't Noogie the Skeleton!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens!! Jk.. But fluffy scenes for all!

During the ride back to the college dorm, Sans kept a vigilant watch on Hazel. When he said he was going to be responsible, he sure as hell meant it.

He remembered how this morning she had taken some medication. He'd been spying on her and his brother the moment Papyrus had walked into the kitchen. He saw her take the medicine. A mood stabilizer guessing from the label. That was probably one of the reasons she had that attack.

After all, taking medicines after consuming monster-made food was a bad idea. Their food healed the soul with natural ingredients and magic. Human made medicines of this era, though used to help with medical conditions and worked to an extent, were made of many ingredients that weren't exactly good. In fact, the medicine made by humans nowadays always had side affects when used, causing you to need other medicines to fix those. And it went on in an almost endless cycle...

So consuming food that was designed to heal the soul without side affects, and then consuming an almost toxic substance that caused strains on your body? It caused an almost immediate reaction, making whatever the medicine was used to subdue rise to the surface and intensify.

He almost had used his magic to restrain Hazel in case the pressure of the sudden snap in her drug induced stability would cause her to go insane. But it had been averted when Papyrus had calmed her down.

He felt a bit... Well, bad. He probably should have paid more attention to the fact she took medication before allowing Paps to give her the cocoa. It wasn't really her fault, since it wasn't an all too well known fact that it happened. After all, most humans didn't eat monster food. Especially ones who were medicated.

But he still didn't exactly trust her 100% just yet...

While she may be harmless at the present moment in time, there was always a possibility of aftershocks. And should she become a threat, especially to Papyrus or Frisk, he would do what he'd have to.

As much as he didn't want to...

After all, she seemed pretty decent for a human. Frisk liked her. Papyrus was beginning to care about her. Even he was starting to enjoy telling her jokes...

He did wonder though... What was it, that made her so afraid? So guilty? So... Sad?

He fully intended to find out, one way or another...

* * *

When they finally made it back to the dorm, Hazel walked inside and sat on the couch. Normally she would have just gone to her room to hide, but she knew Papyrus would be upset if she avoided him. As much as he had helped her during her fit, she owed him. And until she could think of a proper way to thank him, she would do what she could to make him happy.

Sans and Frisk went to get some board games from the attic. She hoped there was Monopoly. She liked playing as the hat.

One of the other students from the dorm was in the dining room, flipping through a magazine. She glanced at Hazel, then ignored her, but not before mumbling under her breath.

She couldn't really understand what she had said, so she shrugged it off.

Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys then walked inside.

"Wow... Not bad..." said Undyne a bit loudly.

The girl in the dining room glared at the noise, but went ignored.

Papyrus then started loudly chatting with Undyne about the house. The girl got in a huff and left, leaving her magazine behind.

What was her problem...?

Alphys spotted Hazel, and shyly waved. Hazel returned it, just as shy.

Approaching her cautiously, Alphys spoke.

"I-i-i h-hope you are f-feeling better... Panic attacks are sc-scary..."

"I'm feeling much better... Thanks to you guys..."

Alphys smiled.

"I'm Alphys. My girlfriend Undyne already i-introduced me... But I f-figured I'd remind you... My name i-is sometimes hard for some humans t-to remember."

"I'm Hazel Griggs... Frisk said you like anime... Is that true?"

"Y-yes! Especially shoujo anime!"

"Good! I like anime too. Have you read The Ancient Magus Bride yet?"

"N-not yet... But I hear there making an OVA for it..."

"No way... Are you serious?!"

"Very."

"Ohhhh! I can't wait to see it!"

"Is the series g-good?"

"I have all the current manga if you want to borrow them..."

"That w-would be great! And you c-can borrow my c-copies of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie!"

* * *

Papyrus stood watching Hazel chatting happily with Alphys. They were sharing their comic books with each other, and she seemed super excited.

He was happy she was okay now... When she started hyperventilating earlier, he panicked. So he started hugging her and running his hand through her hair...

It helped her calm down. And he realized, he liked hugging her. She was so soft, and smelled like something sweet... kinda citrus-y too...

That was strange... How can humans smell like fruit?

Still, she smelled nice...

"Yo! Paps? You ignoring me?!"

Undyne then grabbed him in a headlock and started giving him a noogie.

"OW! DON'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!"

"Then pay attention! You like her, don't you?"

"LIKE WHO?"

Undyne rolled her visible eye before releasing him.

"That girl! Your giving her goo goo eyes and everything!"

"HAZEL? OF COURSE I LIKE HAZEL! SHE'S MY NEW FRIEND."

"Not platonic like! Like, like-like! As in a crush!"

"I DO NOT! SH-SHE'S JUST A FRIEND! THAT'S IT! BESIDES, WE STILL BARELY KNOW ONE ANOTHER!"

Grinning her sharp toothy smile, Undyne surprisingly stayed quiet.

That wasn't like her at all...

"Alphys dear! C'mere!" she yelled.

"Coming my love!" came her girlfriends reply.

As soon as Alphys reached her, Undyne shoved Papyrus into the living room.

"Hey Paps! Give us a minute, would ya?"

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Papyrus nodded.

He then went and sat next to Hazel, who was looking at the covers of the manga Alphys loaned her.

Feeling his presence beside her, she looked up at him.

"Hello Papyrus."

"HELLO HUMAN HAZEL... I SEE YOUR FEELING MUCH BETTER NOW. THAT'S GOOD! I WAS WORRIED..."

Her face was red again.

"I'm very sorry for you seeing me like that... You have no idea how grateful I am to you though... Sometimes I get my attacks so bad, I feel like my heart will stop beating out of fear..."

"WHY DO YOU FEEL SO AFRAID?"

"...I would rather not talk about it... Maybe another time... Maybe..."

"YOU KNOW, TALKING ABOUT YOUR FEARS MAKES THEM NOT AS INTIMIDATING... HAVING SOMEONE LISTEN TO YOU, SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST... IT HELPS MAKE IT BETTER IN THE LONG RUN...BUT I WILL WAIT UNTIL YOU FEEL YOU CAN TRUST ME ENOUGH TO TELL ME. JUST KNOW I'M ALWAYS HERE IF YOU EVER NEED A SYMPATHETIC EAR. EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE EARS..."

Giggling at his unintended joke, she smiled a bit.

"You are so kind Papyrus... I really owe you so much already... You are really something special..."

There it was. That orange blush...

"B-BUT OF COURSE! I _AM_ THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL."

Hazel smirked.

He wasn't lying. He really was great.

But...

Did she really deserve someone so amazing as a friend? After all she had done? For what she was?

"Who's ready for some board games?" came Frisk's voice from the stairwell.

Maybe not... But she wanted it to last, at least a bit longer...


	11. Through the Eyes of the Pacifist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into Frisk's mind on the morning of her first day of the Fall semester.

Frisk jolted awake at the sound of her alarm. Stretching, she wondered why she had set the blasted thing... Such an annoying device...

Oh right! The first day of the Fall semester!

Sitting up faster than a lightning bolt, Frisk jumped out of bed and scrambled around for some clothes that weren't pajamas. Grabbing a sweater that was very similar to the one she had as a child in the underground, and a pair of black slacks, she rushed to the bathroom and hopped into the shower before realizing she still had an hour and a half before she needed to be there.

Slowing down, she relaxed into the hot water.

After she had finished in the bathroom, she walked back into the room she shared with Hazel. Hazel wasn't there, as Frisk realized, since she was an early riser.

Hazel was nice for a roommate. She wasn't a party girl type, or excessively noisy. She kept her part of the room organized and clean. She was also very sweet. If only she'd open up a bit...

During the time Undyne and Alphys were here, she barely spoke. Then again, Undyne did have a tendency to be a bit intimidating and brash...

Alphys had had a fit when she saw Hazel's phone. She even said that it wasn't a phone, it was a brick. She then insisted on building her a new one on the spot.

Hazel tried to graciously decline, saying she wasn't worth such a nice gift, but Alphys wouldn't take no for an answer. Not ten minutes later, Hazel got a phone that could play games, access both the internet and undernet, and shoot lasers. All with near infinite memory and a trans dimensional storage space...

Poor Hazel was flabbergasted... She couldn't get two words out for a good five minutes...

Undyne then told her that she had better call them. No excuses.

Hazel agreed. She almost cried tears of gratitude.

Papyrus then freaked out, telling Undyne she broke Hazel.

The mock fight that followed had to be relocated outside when Undyne suplexed the couch. Wouldn't want to damage the school's property after all...

Frisk brushed her waist length brown hair, then grabbed a bag full of things she needed and opened the door to see Sans standing there, in a white button up shirt and black dress pants. All put together with a cyan blue tie.

She was used to his teleporting by now, so she just smiled at him.

"Morning bonehead. You look rather well dressed today..."

Sans was never a morning person, but the permanent grin on his face was genuine.

"Morning kiddo. Came to see if you slept through that atrocity known as an alarm."

She gave up asking him to stop calling her kiddo after she turned seventeen. It seemed to be his nickname for her...

"Nope. Evil little things though, aren't they?"

"Without a doubt. Disturbing my sleep is a heinous crime."

"You didn't mind whenever I wake you up."

"That's because your special Frisk..."

Frisk stuck her tongue out to distract from the light blush dusting her tan cheeks.

"Well, that's definitely out of _taste_... I got to get going. There's some meeting before my first class here shortly. See you later."

"Have a great first day as the best Quantum Physics professor known to both man and monster-kind."

"Thanks Frisk. Do your best on your first day as a college student."

"I shall. See ya."

He waved goodbye before teleporting away.

"Love you, bonehead..." Frisk said sadly after he was gone.

She couldn't really remember when she first fell in love with Sans...

She guessed it just happened gradually, through all the resets, reliving every joke, every trip to Grillby's, every cheesy grin. But she could never forget when he had forgiven her for all the deaths she had caused when she was possessed by Chara. She had killed even him and Papyrus... Something she could never forget.

All because she wanted to save Asriel so badly...

She had let Chara trick her into believing that if she killed everyone and then reset, it would save him. She didn't do it at first, but after holding Asriel as he vanished into nothingness and turned back into a flower so many times, she grew desperate...

But there was no saving him...

She was mad at Chara, but Frisk understood that her death, and Asriel's murder at human hands because of her wish to see the flowers of her village again, had caused her to go insane and hate all living things...

Sans had forgiven her. But sometimes she still woke at night screaming, crying for Chara to show Mercy...

Sometimes she wished she had never climbed Mt. Ebott, running away from the other kids from the orphanage, and became trapped in the never ending loop of timelines, dying over and over, resetting again and again...

But this time, she was living her last timeline. She was tired of playing the twisted game of choosing life or death. She was scared of what would happen if she never reset again, but she couldn't do it anymore.

A soul can only take so much...

So, here she was, enjoying a full life while it lasted. The reset button was slowly fading, but still there. Just out of the corner of her eye. The damned thing followed her everywhere.

She prayed it would just disappear completely one day.

But for now, she wanted to experience being an adult at the fullest. All the other timelines she never stayed in to grow up.

Sans didn't know of her love for him, and for now, she wanted to keep it that way. He may have forgiven her, but she doubted he could ever love her in the same manner after killing his brother in another timeline. Whether she had been possessed or not.

She was happy just having his friendship. So, no matter what, she kept her love for him locked away from his eyes. The only thing he wouldn't be able to see through in her to.

"F-frisk?"

Realizing she'd been staring at the spot where Sans had vanished rather intently, Frisk looked up at Hazel, who had a plate of toast and eggs in hand.

"I-i brought you some breakfast in case you weren't up yet... Are you okay?"

"I'm alright... Just a bit tired is all. But I'm still excited for my first day!"

"Oh... Well, here's some eggs and toast... Would you like some coffee too?"

"Actually, I want some golden flower tea, but I'll get it. Thank you."

Smiling, Hazel responded with a "No problem."

Such a nice girl.

Too bad Alphys and Undyne were plotting on getting her with Papyrus by any means necessary. Papyrus would make a great boyfriend for Hazel, sure. But it got kinda weird when someone started writing fanfiction about you for their little shipping frenzy...

She just hoped they didn't lock them in a closet for two hours like they did the last couple they shipped. Well... Here's to hoping.


	12. A Bit Jumpy, aren't We?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The joys of scaring the bejeebus out of people.

If skeletons had eyes, Sans' would have been rolling. So he settled on rolling the pinpricks of light that served as pupils in his otherwise empty eye sockets instead.

After getting plenty of stares at the meeting, the kids in his first class were doing the same, just as he walked in the door.

"Yo. How ya doing? Names Sans, and I am your new Quantum Physics professor. Thus, you have to call me Professor Sans on campus. Off campus, just call me Sans."

Might as well make the best of the situation. At least he had their attention.

Grinning mischievously, he reopened the classroom door.

"It appears I forgot something outside... I'll be right back..."

Stepping out, he used his magic and teleported to the back of the class.

"I'm back." He said.

He was pleased to see the students jump a mile out their skins.

Letting out a small chuckle, he walked back to the front of the class.

"Geez, you guys are a _skele-ton_ of fun. Now, role call..."

* * *

  
Frisk was sitting outside during lunch hour. Eating a spaghetti sandwich Papyrus had packed for her that morning, she pondered over the past two classes.

She had gotten plenty of people staring at her, them knowing who she was the minute her name was called by the teacher. She felt glares, curious glances, and a few looks of admiration turn her way wherever she went.

She paid them no mind. She was here to learn, and support the monsters who attended the college alongside her. Not bother with the nay sayers.

She looked up from her sandwich as she heard a throat clearing. A male student stood there, grinning flirtatiously.

"Wow... Your even more beautiful in person." he said.

Okay... She hadn't been expecting that...

"Umm... Thank you...? You are...?"

"Mitch Asbury. I already know who you are. The amazing Frisk Dreemurr."

Sighing, she stood and went to the garbage can to throw away her trash, him following her.

"You seeing anyone?" he asked.

"You move awfully fast, don't you. The answer is no, to that and your next question. I'm here to study, not date."

She then slung her bag over her shoulder and left for her last class of the day.

 

* * *

Hazel heaved a sigh of relief. Classes were finally over for the day...

So many people... She couldn't stand it...

Thankfully she was in a program where she did most of her classes on her laptop back at the dorm. She only had to be on campus for the first day, for exams, and for a few classes on certain days. Like the Culinary Arts class she was taking on Friday. It was a class she would need to attend in person, since the teacher couldn't just stand in the dorm kitchen to observe her cooking.

She didn't really need to do Culinary Arts since she was aspiring to be a writer-slash-illustrator, but she did want to know how to more than just eggs and other simple dishes...

Now, she was walking back to the dorm. It was a mile both ways, so it was good exercise. Real good.

She was listening to the Cranberries on her MP3 as she walked, so she barely registered the car driving beside her, until she heard a loud honk.

Letting out a shriek, she tripped in shock, landing face first into the pavement.

Glancing up, she instantly saw Papyrus in front of her, mouth moving rapidly as he tried to dust her off when she sat up. She couldn't hear him, but he seemed to be panicking.

As she tried to pull off her head phones to hear better, he grabbed her in a crushing hug.

He then held her at arms length, still talking with a confused, yet worried expression.

She wondered how he could show so much emotion at once. Especially since his face was made of bone...

Finally pulling out her ear buds, she spoke.

"Papyrus? Is everything okay? I couldn't hear you over my music..."

"IS THAT WHY YOU WOULDN'T RESPOND? OH... I THOUGHT YOU WERE MAD SINCE I SCARED YOU... OH! I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU! I JUST WANTED TO GET YOUR ATTENTION! YOU DIDN'T RESPOND WHEN I PULLED UP BESIDE YOU."

"Paps, I'm okay. My face is a bit sore but I'm fine. I should be the one apologizing."

"BUT-"

"Hey, you both apologized... Now can we get home? I'm tired..." Sans said jokingly from the convertible.

"Your always tired." Frisk said from the passenger seat.

"True." he agreed.

"WOULD YOU LIKE A RIDE HOME HAZEL?" Papyrus asked.

"Sure. Thank you."

Hopping into the back seat with Sans, she waved.

"How were your classes today?" Hazel asked him.

"Not bad. My students are kinda jumpy though. Could of swore I saw _their_ skeletons today."

"Sans, you didn't..." Frisk said.

"Frisk, I did."

Shaking her head, Frisk tried to hide a grin.

Hazel didn't understand, but just rolled with it.

Who was she to guess the actions of a comic like Sans?


	13. I LIKE YOUR SMILE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel finds Papyrus a bit out of sorts one morning.

Well, it was Friday morning of the first week. Tomorrow would be the weekend, meaning no classes, but plenty of homework.

Hazel was already ahead. She tended to do her homework as soon as possible, leaving plenty of time for reading or drawing. She was pretty smart, which was one of the few things she would admit was good about her. Honestly, she got into college after all. And she did it by earning it, not by being related to anyone rich. That kind of proved of her intelligence, no?

The past three days she had been doing her classes at the dorm on her laptop, and doing the work assignments right after getting them. After making a good bit of progress, she would take a small break to either clean around the dorm, or read, or just something to pass the time until she went back to do more.

On the weekend, she would be at the library, doing her job of organizing the books. It had small pay, but her other source of income helped out. While it technically wasn't a ' job', she would sell some of her art via internet. Her painting of the poppies had already gotten $25 from someone in Wisconsin. Of course, part of the money went to shipping it.

And here she was, sitting at the breakfast table, sketching a picture of a field of sunflowers. Pictures of flowers always sold for some reason...

She was waiting for Papyrus, who often woke up before her to go jogging each morning. After he got back, he would fix lunch for his brother and Frisk, then eat breakfast, all the while, making small talk with Hazel. But he seemed late today...

He usually was back before she started her first cup of coffee. And here she was drinking her second...

As she stood to put her dishes from breakfast in the sink, he walked in. But... He didn't have a bounce in his step as he usually did... And he looked... A bit sad...

"Papyrus? Are you alright?"

He glanced up at her, as if he hadn't noticed her there before.

"OH... HELLO HUMAN HAZEL... I'M ALRIGHT..."

There was something crumpled up in his gloved hands. A piece of paper?

"May I see?" she said gesturing towards the paper.

"I'D RATHER YOU DIDN'T... IT... ISN'T PLEASANT..."

"Papyrus... I want to know what is making my dearest friend upset. And I can tell whatever is on that paper is upsetting you. Please?"

Sighing, he handed it over.

"PLEASE DON'T TELL SANS..." was all he said.

Looking at it, her eyes widened.

It was a crude drawing of a skeleton, one that looked much like Papyrus, if the scarf was anything to go by... It had knives sticking out of it...

Words were written on it in large spiky handwriting...

'Go home freak!'

Her face darkened. She started ripping the paper to shreds.

She felt so... Angry.

Who the hell was sick enough to do something like that?!

"HAZEL? YOUR HANDS ARE SHAKING..."

Indeed they were.

"Papyrus."

"...YES...?"

"I won't tell Sans. But you should. Especially if they do this again. You shouldn't have to be put through this because people want to be petty. You're too nice a guy. You deserve to be here too."

"... I DON'T KNOW... SANS CAN GET KIND OF... OUT OF HAND... WHEN HE GETS MAD."

"I have a feeling if you don't tell Sans sooner, it will be worse later. It's best to have it dealt with before it gets to a point where it becomes dangerous. Promise me that if it gets worse, you will tell him. Please..."

"... FINE... BUT ONLY IF IT WILL HELP YOU CALM DOWN. I DON'T WANT YOU TO HAVE ANOTHER FIT... ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF ME..."

Taking a deep breath, she relaxed.

"Better?" she said with a small smile.

"MUCH... NOW, WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR TODAY?"

"Not much... I do plan on walking to the school today though... I have a Culinary Arts class at 1."

"REALLY? I'M IN THE SAME CLASS! WE COULD PROBABLY WORK TOGETHER!"

"There's no probably about it. We _are_ working together. If you want to that is."

"SURE... HEY HAZEL, YOU KNOW WHAT?"

"What?"

"YOU AREN'T STUTTERING AROUND ME ANYMORE. I'M GLAD, BECAUSE THAT MEANS YOU ARE NOW GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE AROUND THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH HEH HEH!" he said with a big grin on his face.

He was right... Ever since he walked in, she hadn't stuttered. Not once... Granted, first she was concerned for Papyrus, then angry on his behalf, but she still hadn't...

"I guess your right." she said, returning the grin.

"I LIKE YOUR SMILE." he all of a sudden said. He then started blushing, and stuttering.

"I-I-I MEAN.... YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT, RIGHT?"

"... I like yours too." Hazel couldn't explain it, but his blushing face made her stomach feel weird... But not exactly in a bad way. Just... Something she wasn't used too.

He liked her smile? She didn't really get genuine compliments often... She was used to being ignored. Like she didn't exist.

She ignored the feeling in her stomach. She wasn't going to investigate it at the present moment in time.

"Hey Pap? Tomorrow when I get off of work from the library, do you still want to learn to make lemonade? I can pick up some lemons and stuff on the way home..."

"SURE! I WILL BE THERE TO PICK YOU UP SINCE THE LIBRARY IS KIND OF FAR. ALSO, DO YOU WANT A RIDE TO SCHOOL WITH US TODAY?"

"That would be nice. Thank you."

Tossing the shreds of the threatening note in the trash, Hazel glared at them before closing the lid.

Little did she know, this morning was just the start of the nonsense surrounding that paper...


	14. Good Friends ALWAYS Invite themselves!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter because of me being ill. Sorry...

When Sans and Frisk were finally ready, Papyrus handed them a bag lunch each. He then handed one to Hazel.

"YOU CAN HAVE ONE TOO! IT'S MY AMAZING SPAGHETTI! I MADE IT LAST NIGHT WHILE YOU WERE ASLEEP!"

"Oh... Thank you Papyrus! I was just going to wait until we got back to eat, but this is very thoughtful of you."

"Hate to interrupt, but we'd best _spa-getti_ out of here if we're going to get there on time. It's _pasta_ 8:15." Sans said.

"SANS! WAIT... YOUR RIGHT! I'LL HAVE TO SCOLD YOU IN THE CAR! COME ON, BEFORE WE'RE LATE!"

Grabbing Sans by the collar, Papyrus ran out the door, dragging his smaller older brother along.

Picking up their messenger bags, Frisk and Hazel followed behind.

"How does he have so much energy?" Hazel asked.

"I've known them both for ten years, and I still don't know..." Frisk replied.

Finding Papyrus' car already waiting for them outside, they both hopped in, buckling their seatbelts.

Papyrus was still scolding Sans by the time they made it on campus.

"-I MEAN HONESTLY! USING SPAGHETTI FOR YOUR PUNS? WHAT NEXT?"

"Hey Paps, sorry to cut this short, but I got to get to my students. Later."

"SIGH... HAVE A GREAT DAY SANS."

"You too bro. Later Frisk, Hazel."

"Bye Professor Bonehead."

"Have a _Sans_ -ational day!" Hazel added with a thumbs up.

Chuckling, Sans left, leaving a groaning Papyrus and a pair of giggling girls behind.

Papyrus then dropped Frisk off at building D where her foreign relations class was held.

"See you two goofballs later."

"Bye Frisk!"

"FAREWELL HUMAN FRISK!"

After she had left, Papyrus turned to Hazel.

"WHERE TO?"

"Well, I have free time until 1, so could you drop me off by the library?"

"BUT OF COURSE! I WILL COME GET YOU FOR CULINARY ARTS AT 12:45, OKAY?"

"Okay."

Leaving her outside the library, Papyrus waved a farewell to Hazel.

"See you later Papyrus."

"SEE YOU AT 12:45!"

After he drove off, Hazel went inside, giving a greeting to Mr. Kirk, the head librarian.

"Miss Griggs. It's nice to see one of my favorite paid volunteers on an off day."

"Just came to do some research today."

"Right. Well, you know where to look better than anyone."

"That I do. See you later Mr. Kirk."

Sitting down with some reference books, Hazel fished a notebook and pencils from her bag. Grabbing her headphones, she plugged them into the phone Alphys made for her and pressed shuffle on her music list. She realized that the sound on the phone was better than her mp3, plus it didn't die nearly as quickly.

_Bzzzz. Bzzzz._

Feeling the vibrations of the phone, she looked at the screen.

It was a text from Undyne.

_Undyne: Hey, Hazel right? Paps says your teaching him to make something called lemonade. Me and Alphys are coming over and joining you._

Hazel stared at the screen. Did Undyne just invite herself over? Not that she minded either her or Alphys anymore, but was that normal for friends to invite themselves over? She never had real friends before, so she didn't know.

_Bzzzz. Bzzzz._

_Undyne: By the way, Alphys wants to help you make an account on the Undernet. So get thinking of some epic usernames! See you later, wimp!_

She responded with _:_

_Hazel: Okay. See you two later._

Going back to her books and notes, Hazel felt something strange. Like someone was staring at her...

Looking around, she saw no one but her...

Shrugging it off, she continued writing.

Must be her imagination...


	15. For the Love of Spider Pastries...

When it hit 12:30, Hazel sat outside on the library steps, waiting for Papyrus.

The entire time she had been in the library she felt eyes on her. Even now, she felt like someone was watching her. Only time she felt free of the stares was when she had used the ladies room in the library. But the minute she was back in the library, she felt those eyes again...

She hadn't seen anyone there when she looked around, and she did so now.

She saw no one. Just buildings. Wait...

Was someone opening up a bakery in the old building next door?

Glancing around one more time, she stood up. Walking over to the sign in front of the bakery, she read it.

_**Muffet's Spider Bakery: Finest Spider Pastries Ever Tasted** _

Below were the hours and a small menu on today's specials.

"Spider pastries? Huh... Maybe Papyrus and the others would like some? After all, the spaghetti he gave me was so tasty..."

Checking the time, she still had ten minutes.

Grinning, she stepped inside.

"Why hello dearie! Step inside! Your our first patron of the day." said a sweet voice from above her head.

Hazel looked up, only for her eyes to widen at the site of a large, complex series of spider webs. At the center was seated a dainty spider monster.

Hazel wasn't afraid of spiders by any means. Her grandmother always told her spiders were good luck in the house. They kept the insects in order. Very good for the ecosystem...

But she had never seen so many before... And the smaller ones were the size of her hands...

"Um... Hi. How much for a dozen muffins?"

"Wait... You actually want to buy some of our pastries? And you're human?"

"Y-yes. My friends and I are having a little thing going where we're making lemonade, and I thought something sweet to go with it would be nice..."

"Hmmm... Normally I charge $30 for a dozen of my muffins, but you seem like someone who would sincerely enjoy our pastries... And hopefully promote business. So, for a nice girl like you, how about $25?"

"Thank you! That is very generous of you..." Hazel pulled out her wallet, an old Nightmare Before Christmas one with spider webs behind Jack, and put $25 in the spider web.

"Anything for a potential repeat customer. I like your taste in wallets by the way."

"Thank you! My name is Hazel Griggs."

"I am Muffet. We hope to see you again."

The spider girl then sent down the box of pastries on a strand of silken spider thread.

Lightly grabbing them, Hazel smiled.

"Have a pleasant day, Miss Muffet!"

"You as well, Hazel dear."

Leaving the store, Hazel hid the muffins in her bag.

Walking back up to the library, she saw Papyrus just pull up.

"Papyrus!! Over here!"

She waved her arms to get his attention.

He noticed her, and drove up to her.

"WHERE DID YOU GO? YOU WERE WALKING LIKE YOU JUST CAME FROM SOMEWHERE..." he said with faint suspicion in his voice.

"I did. But where is a secret for now. You will find out later." Hazel said with a sneaky grin and a wink.

"Anyways, we got a class to get to. Culinary Arts, ho!" she said, hopping in the passenger seat.

"I NEVER PEGGED YOU FOR ONE TO KEEP A SECRET. BUT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MASTER OF PUZZLES, SHALL FIGURE IT OUT! NYEH HEH HEH!" he laughed while driving.

Hazel smirked and shook her head. He was just too cute...

Parking in the spot closest to the building where the classroom was, Papyrus groaned. It was still pretty far...

"WE'LL NEVER MAKE IT ON TIME... NO OFFENSE HUMAN HAZEL, BUT YOU HUMANS RUN TOO SLOW... UNLESS..."

"...Unless what...?"

Papyrus said nothing, just scooped Hazel up bridal style and started running.

"Woah! Papyrus! What are you doing?! Put me down!!"

"WE'LL GET THERE FASTER THIS WAY! TRUST ME!"

Hazel gripped onto Papyrus for dear life. She didn't want to accidentally go flying when he stopped!

"How much further?! I don't know how much more I can-!?" she stopped talking and squealed as they came to a sudden halt.

"WE'RE HERE."

Letting out a sigh of relief, she relaxed.

Then she realized...

She was snuggled up to Papyrus chest! With her arms around his neck!

"Oh! Um... Sorry..." she said, letting go.

Papyrus set her down cautiously, since her legs were shaking.

"Papyrus... Warn me the next time you plan on doing that..."

"OH... RIGHT. SORRY..."

Getting her bearings, Hazel sighed.

"It's okay, now, let's get to class, shall we?"

"INDEED!"

Stepping into the classroom, they met the eyes of the other students already there.

Nervous, Hazel started to fidget with her fingers...

However, Papyrus blocked them from her view, and but his arm on her shoulder.

"IT'LL BE OKAY. I'M RIGHT HERE IF YOU NEED ME."

Looking up at him, she nodded.

As her and Papyrus sat down, she felt the stares. They were most likely directed more towards Papyrus, but she still didn't like them...

"HAZEL? I N-NEED MY HAND PL-PLEASE..."

Looking down, she saw she had his hand in a death grip.

When did that happen?! First she's clinging to him, now she's holding Papyrus' hand?!

Since when did she become so touchy-feely? She never liked being touched before...

What made Papyrus' touch so different?

"I'm s-sorry..."

Papyrus frowned, and ruffled her hair.

"IT'S OKAY."

Now there were mutters from the other classmates...

She caught the word "couple".

Oh hell... Now people would think they were dating!

Which wouldn't be bad... But she didn't think Papyrus saw her like that. Plus, she wasn't into relationships... After all, she never actually saw one end up happy. So why go through the heartache and ruin her friendship with Papyrus early by wanting something more? It just wasn't worth it...

The teacher then walked in. He was tall. Not as tall as Papyrus, but still a decent sized man. His salt and pepper hair was neatly combed back, his moustache trimmed.

"Good afternoon class. I am Professor Louvre. I will be your guide to the art of Culinary Masterpieces. Now, role call..."

 

* * *

 

The class went by pretty fast. Professor Louvre was a bit uptight, but was good as long as you remembered his rules.

They went over basic cooking instructions, such as how to properly handle a stove. Papyrus seemed shocked at some of the information given him, and instantly wrote it down.

"Now, next week we are going to do something simple. We are going to learn how to properly filet a steak. Until then, I wish you all a decent weekend. Farewell." Professor Louvre said in parting.

Picking up their things at the sound of the bell, Hazel and Papyrus started their walk back to the car.

"He seems like an... Interesting teacher..." Hazel said.

"HE SEEMS TO KNOW A LOT. I NEVER KNEW YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO COOK AT FULL HEAT ALL THE TIME..."

Hazel had to restrain a snort. It was kinda funny. But at the same time not.

She then realized her throat was kinda dry.

"Hey Pap. I'm going to get a drink from a vending machine. Would you mind waiting by the fountain in the courtyard for me? And do you want anything? My treat."

"JUST SOME WATER PLEASE."

"Okay. Be right back."

Rushing into the nearest building, she found a vending machine almost right inside the doors. Getting a cherry coke and Papyrus' water, she took a long sip.

"Ah... That's better."

Putting her wallet up, Hazek started walking back to Papyrus. She heard shouting as she got closer.

Turning around the corner where the fountain was, she froze.

A group of boys in Letterman jackets were surrounding Papyrus. One had a baseball bat behind his back...

Adrenaline was rushing in her veins, making her half-deaf to the conversation.

Rushing forward, she grasped at the baseball bat in the boys hands, and tried to wrench it out of his grasp. She wasn't strong enough, and only succeeded in getting him mad.

He pushed her into the fountain, her back and head connecting with the sharp edged statue if the school mascot. Barely feeling the cold water, she slipped into unconsciousness, barely hearing Papyrus repeatedly calling her name.

A brief flash of orange light, then, all was black...


	16. Of Bones and Furious Skeletons

Papyrus stood by the water fountain with a large eagle in the center, quietly babbling as the water gurgled from the spouts, just waiting for Hazel to return.

Pausing to study the statue, he smiled.

His and Hazel's friendship level seemed to keep rising higher and higher.

For the most part, she had stopped stuttering around him, she was willing to talk to him more openly... All signs that she was starting to trust him.

However, she still hadn't told him why she was so timid. But he wouldn't rush her. She would tell him eventually, and even if she didn't, he would still be there for her. That's what friends did. They were there for each other.

Friends...

Huh...

No. If he was being honest he liked her a bit more than that... Best friends maybe?

She wouldn't be his only best friend, he had Frisk, Undyne, Alphys... He had several people he saw as more than a friend. But Hazel... What was she? The kind of like he had for her kept growing. With every glance her way, every touch, every smile she gave him...

It wasn't like the relationship he had with Sans. Definitely not. Hazel wasn't his sister or anything...

This was something so different than any relationship he'd experienced so far...

"Hey! Freak!" said a voice, jarring Papyrus from his thoughts.

He looked away from the fountain he'd been staring at, but not really seeing. Several human males were standing around him.

"OH! SORRY. I WAS LOST IN THOUGHT AND DIDN'T NOTICE YOUR APPROACH. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! HOW ARE YOU TODAY?" he said. He knew from their expressions that they were up to no good. But if he played down the situation, maybe he could turn a negative into a positive?

"Shut it. Freaks like you talking like you're actually people? Hah. It makes me sick! Right guys?"

The four other humans smirked and chuckled in agreement. Except one. He seemed reluctant to be there.

"Why did they decide to let beasts like you into this school anyways? Your too stupid for anything to actually sink in your thick skulls!"

The boy speaking was somewhat tall with an athletic build. His black hair curled over his tanned forehead, giving him a roguish look. His ice blue eyes glared daggers into the taller skeleton monster. If looks could kill, Papyrus would have been dead twelve times over just in this brief moment.

"THERE'S NO NEED TO BE SO CRUEL TO MONSTERS. WE WISH TO EXIST ALONGSIDE HUMANS PEACEFULLY. I'M SURE IF WE TALK ABOUT IT, WE CAN COME TO AN AGREEMENT..."

"Hey Joey..." said the one human who hadn't laughed at the leader's harsh comments. He had thick brown hair and minty green eyes. He squinted like he was having difficulty seeing.

"Shut it Felix!" said Joey.

"Joey. He doesn't seem like he's doing anything wrong! Let's leave him be."

"Don't wimp out on me now! Your sister wouldn't like that, now would she?"

"... Leave Melody out of this."

"Then do what I say!"

Papyrus watched this interlude with worry.

"YOU SHOULDN'T FORCE PEOPLE TO DO WHAT YOU WANT. ESPECIALLY INVOLVING THEIR FAMILY."

"Shut up freak!!"

That's when rapid footsteps were heard approaching.

Hazel came out of nowhere and started trying to wrestle something from behind one of the unknown boys backs. She wasn't strong enough, and the boy was angrily yelling at her to get off of him. Grabbing her, the boy shoved Hazel into the water fountain.

"HAZEL?! HAZEL!" Papyrus yelled as her head collided into a sharp corner of the pedestal the eagel stood on.

As she slumped into the water, her honey colored eyes grew dark.

Papyrus felt his magic start to surge through him.

"HAZEL?! PLEASE BE OKAY! HAZEL?!" He said as he rushed to get her out of the cold water.

"Joey! This is your fault! Now a girl is hurt because of your stupid racism!" Felix yelled.

"It's her fault! Terry was just defending himself! She shouldn't have been a dumb broad to defend the freak!"

"You-!" Felix stopped. The air pressure was starting to crackle. Jolts of orange light shot like electric currents throughout the area.

Looking at Papyrus, the boys froze in fear. A dark look appeared on the skeleton's face. A bright orange glowing pupil appeared in his right pupil.

Shudders ran down their backs. As Joey made a move to flee, jagged bones shot out of the ground before him to halt his movements.

The boy who threw Hazel, started trying to attack the bones with a baseball bat she had been trying to wrestle from him. A cage of bones surrounded him and started enclosing in on him.

A large monstrous looking skeletal hand appeared out of thin air, grasping the other boy in it's grasp.

"PAPYRUS!!"

The bones ceased moving. The hand stopped squeezing.

Sans stepped forward.

"Calm down Pap... We need to get Hazel looked at. She could have a concussion. Let the boys go. Hurting them won't solve anything... We need to hurry. Hazel is pretty hurt."

The bones stayed a second longer, then disappeared.

The glow in Papyrus' eye slowly faded. The tears flowing down his cheekbones did not.

"C'mon Pap. We need to get her an ambulance."

Pulling out his phone, Sans dialed the emergency number.

Joey made another move to leave.

Sans' eye sockets went black.

"Try running and you will end up having a _bad time_..." Sans said in a menacing tone.

Joey halted. He already was almost skewered, he decided not to push his luck further.

Speaking to the emergency contact person, Sans examined Hazel's head. It was bleeding... As was her back, the blood soaking into her white sweater...

This wasn't good.

"Papyrus. We need to drive her to the hospital. Are you okay to drive?"

Papyrus just nodded solemnly. He was very distraught.  
"Alright. I need to call Frisk and the Dean. Take Hazel to the hospital. We will be there shortly."

Papyrus nodded again, and rushed to do as Sans said.

All the while praying everything would be alright...


	17. Watching, Waiting, Commiserating

He hated this...

Papyrus wasn't normally an impatient monster, but sitting in the emergency room waiting area while, well, waiting for news on Hazel was driving him stir crazy...

His legs were rhythmically tapping the floor in a rapid motion, his fingers clutched the arms of his chair...

Where was Sans and Frisk?!

Standing up, he started pacing back and forth, not registering the stares he was getting.

The second he had arrived at the hospital, a group of nurses had been waiting outside with a stretcher. They whisked Hazel away the minute he had laid her down on the stretcher. The last he saw of her was as the doors slid shut...

She looked so pale and fragile against the white sheets... Her breathing had been shallow, her skin cold...

Just thinking about her like that made his chest clench...

"Papyrus...?"

Looking up from the floor, he noticed Frisk had arrived, as well as Sans and Mrs. Harper. Strangely, Undyne and Alphys were there too...

Frisk approached him as Mrs. Harper spoke to the police man by the counter.

"Pap? How is she?"

"...I SAW HER GO INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM THIRTY-FOUR MINUTES AGO... SINCE THEN... NOTHING..."

Sighing, Frisk guided him towards a seat.

"I need you to tell me what happened. Somehow, the media caught wind of this and are on there way here... Someone said you tried to attack some human boys and they're running to the hills with it..."

"... I KNOW I SHOULDN'T HAVE LOST MY TEMPER... I JUST SAW HAZEL LYING IN THE FOUNTAIN WITH... WITH BLOOD POURING INTO THE WATER... FROM HER... HEAD... SHE WAS TRYING TO PROTECT ME FROM THOSE BOYS... I JUST... I LOST IT..."

"Is that what happened?!" Undyne growled. "I'm gonna-"

"Undyne. Fighting them will make this worse..." Frisk said.

"But-"

"No buts. We don't want humans to be afraid of us." Sans then said.

Undyne grumbled. "I don't like this..."

"You think I do?! That girl got hurt defending MY brother!" Sans snapped.

"He may be your brother, but he's MY friend too! So the fact some idiots tried to hurt him, and Hazel may be dying from defending him concerns more than just YOU!" Undyne snapped back.

"Sans! Undyne! Fighting each other isn't the solution either!" Frisk scolded.

"Excuse me...?" came a small voice.

A small nurse in Hello Kitty scrubs jolted in shock when they all turned to glare at her.

"I... I have a q-question for the ones who br-brought H-hazel Griggs?"

Undyne and Sans' tension loosened, but not by much.

Frisk gently smiled before responding.

"That would be us... I called her grandparents, but they are in Georgia. We are friends of hers from the college."

"Oh... Well, do any of you know the meaning of the scars on her back? Between the shoulders? We noticed them while stitching up the scratches on her back." Pulling out a camera, the nurse continued.

"We would normally write them off as normal scars but... Well..."

The nurse handed Frisk the device. Frisk looked at the camera, nearly dropping it at what she saw...

Papyrus caught a glimpse, his eyes widening.

It was a picture of Hazel's bare back, however, the scars the nurse mentioned underneath the bloody mess from recent events, were definitely not normal... They spelled out a single word in jagged marks on her pale skin...

'MURDERER'

Grasping the camera, Sans' eyes darkened at the sight of the mark.

"So... She's been abused... Pretty badly at that..." he said.

Alphys gasped and started sobbing when she saw it, Undyne trying to hold her to soothe the anguished scientist.

"WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING...?"

There was nothing but silence in the wake of Papyrus' question...

The nurse left, obviously getting her answer that none of them knew why the mark was there...

A doctor took her place quickly after.

"Party for Hazel Griggs?" he said.

"Here." came Mrs. Harper's voice walking up to the group.

The doctor, a male dressed haphazardly with a lab coat thrown over, raised a clip board.

"She's very badly hurt, and unconscious due to the medicine we gave her during the surgery, but in time she will make a full recovery. She's suffered a minor concussion, abrasions to the back and head, plus a small bit of hypothermia, but she can go home in a little less than a week hopefully. Mind you, there may be a chance she could go temporarily blind from the head injury, but like I said, it's temporary."

"Will she be awake anytime soon?" Mrs. Harper asked. "There's a bit of a squabble going on and unfortunately, Hazel is involved. I need her words on what happened, otherwise there might be a problem for the others involved."

"Is that why you requested for us to monitor her visitors?"

"Precisely. These ones here are okay, as well as her grandparents, whose information I can give you later. But besides them and myself, no one. Especially the media."

"We will do our best. But she should be awake sometime tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you." Dean Harper said, adjusting her wire framed glasses.

Turning towards the rest as the doctor left, the small, intimidating woman heaved a sigh.

"I will take my leave now. Mister Papyrus, I am unhappy to say this, but for your own safety I think it's best if you stay at the dorm until this blows over. Professor Sans, I will have a substitute fill in for you on Monday, but after you will need to come back. Miss Dreemurr, I-"

"I will be at my classes as scheduled... I need to be a strong example for the monsters on the campus."

"...As you wish. Now, I need to go put this affair in order as much as possible. I will be by tomorrow to check in Miss Griggs. Farewell."

Her blue heels clacking against the linoleum floor, Mrs. Harper left.

Papyrus stood up.

"I NEED A WALK..."

They pretty much understood what he meant. He needed to be alone to think.

"Just don't go too far. Okay, bro?" Sans sighed.

Papyrus nodded, then disappeared into the corridors of the hospital available for the purpose of walking without disturbing the patients.

Frisk sighed.

He already had a crush on Hazel... A big one.

The question was, how long until he truly noticed it?

And what would Sans do about it?


	18. Creeping Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So. It's officially been a month since I first posted this story... Wow...

Sans was sitting in the seat that Papyrus had vacated next to Frisk. Papyrus had been on his walk for a long time. It was getting close to six.

Sans really hoped he hadn't run into the news reporters while walking. After all, whatever fool had called them had given a physical description of his little brother. Papyrus knew how to handle himself mostly, but in his current state he wouldn't be able to handle all the accusations thrown his way.

He nearly jumped when he felt a brush against his shoulder, only to realize Frisk had fallen asleep and her head had landed on him.

"Nightmares keeping you up at night again kiddo? Heh... Same here..."

As he expected, he was greeted only by her gentle snores. Running his large, boney hand through her hair, he contemplated all that has happened as of late.

His brother had made friends with a social recluse of a girl, she turns out to have severe anxiety in public, but starts to like Papyrus. Which was only natural. Papyrus had a gift with getting people to like him. Especially those who had problems, since he had a big heart and comforted them. Made them feel special.

At first, Sans was worried Hazel was using Papyrus as an emotional sponge, letting him listen to whatever problems she had and would ignore him when she no longer needed him. But today, she proved him wrong. She was willing to let herself get hurt to protect him.

She actually wasn't so bad for a human...

When she was being sociable, she had a decent sense of humor, which counted for a lot in his book. She was always so polite, worked hard if he had to guess from the job she had at the library and balancing her school work with it. Yeah, he knew of her job. He did a little research on her life at the college. But today, he found out something about her from deep in her past. That mark. That word.

But the mark just brought more questions than answers. Why she would have that specific word on her back mostly. She didn't seem to be the killer type.

But then again, one really never knew what to expect from others.

Like Frisk. She was so kind and gentle, you'd never have guessed she killed everyone she loved in another timeline. But she was just trying to save someone special to her. A someone who was now trapped inside an evil flower back at Mt. Ebott with Toriel baby-sitting the demon weed while Frisk was here. She had been tricked into believing if she gathered enough souls in one timeline, she could reset and save his true self, not knowing that Chara had told her that to possess her body.

Thankfully, she hadn't succeeded.

Frisk vowed never to reset again. She got sick every time she remembered the coating of her friend's dust on her hands.

Saving Prince Asriel just wasn't meant to be unfortunately.

You could tell Frisk loved Asriel. She still put up with his jerk of a self now. Treated him with love even though he treated her like dirt.

And he was jealous. He realized that as Frisk changed from child to woman, so did his feelings from the love of a friend to the love of one who couldn't live without her. Every time she hugged Flowey and kissed his jerk face, he seethed.

Why couldn't she kiss him like that?! The stupid weed didn't even care she loved him!

Sans took a deep breath.

What he wouldn't do to let that vile daisy get dunked on like he deserved...

But he couldn't. It would break Frisk's heart.

And he cared about her enough to at least want her happiness before his own.

Repeatedly stroking his phalanges through Frisk's dark brown hair, he had a feeling that his brother was starting to feel a deep affection for this Hazel girl.

If she turned out to be a threat to him, she was in for a bad time...

 

* * *

 

Opening her eyes ever so slowly, she laid there.

It was still so dark...

Where was she?

Who was she?

Stopping to think, she remembered something.

Hazel Griggs, age 21, daughter of Sam Griggs and Kathrynn Parker. Her father was a mechanic at a car garage in Tavares, Florida before his tragic death at the age of 32, leaving behind a five year old Hazel to be raised by her mother for two years before she was taken in by her paternal grandparents, Fred and Sarah Griggs...

She currently attended Willowbrook college, and was in her second year, meeting a skeleton monster named...

"Papyrus?" she whispered.

Then came a sudden deep pain, crashing into her senses.

Her head! It hurt so bad!

She tried to clutch her head, but couldn't move her arms, they were being strapped down by something!

She felt sick, like throwing up from all the pain...

Hazel heard faint voices, and a chilling sensation shoot through her body.

The pain was slowly starting to fade, as was the nausea.

"-ggs? Miss Griggs? Are you awake?" said a strange female voice in the darkness.

"Hello? Who's there? Why can't I see you?"

"Miss Griggs, your in the hospital. Your suffered some light head trauma, causing you to go temporarily blind. I'm Jenny, your nurse for this morning. How are you feeling?"

"Wh-where's Papyrus?! Is he okay?!"

"Papyrus? Oh, you mean the monster in the lobby who brought you... Well, besides worrying about your condition, he's fine. The others went home after awhile, but he insisted on staying. He's been up all night from what I hear. What a loving boyfriend you have."

Hazel could feel the blush on her face burn.

"He's j-just a fr-friend... He really waited all night for me?"

She couldn't see Jenny, didn't know what she looked like, but she somehow knew the woman was grinning.

"Honest. Still, boyfriend or not, your one lucky girl. Would you like to see him? Well, technically speaking you can't really see him, but I think you know what I mean."

"Yes, please."

"Good! Any longer and I think he would have paced a pathway into the linoleum."

Hazel sighed. At least he was alright.

Thinking back to her dream while she was unconscious, she shuddered.

Who had that being in the darkness been? With the cracked skeletal face?

She brushed it off. It was just a dream. Nothing more, nothing less.

Right now, she wondered what all happened while she had been unconscious.


	19. A Soul of Gold

Seated in a chair in the same lobby as before, Papyrus had his elbows propped on his knees, and his chin resting on his hands.

He hadn't slept at all. Monsters didn't require as much sleep as humans did, but the two hours they did sleep was important. Some required more, but unless you were Sans and slept almost all day, four hours was usually all they needed.

Needless to say, he was exhausted. But he was worried more.

Sans and Frisk had gone back to the dorm when Papyrus had finally returned from his long walk. Sans asked him to come too, telling him he needed to rest and that Hazel would be alright until they came back in the morning, but Papyrus refused.

Sans didn't push him.

"Mister Papyrus?" said a voice from his left.

"YES?" he turned and saw a dark-skinned nurse with thick black hair in braids standing before him in butterfly scrubs.

"Hi. I'm Nurse Jenny. I'm Hazel's designated nurse this morning. She's awake and asking about you." Nurse Jenny had a way of talking that made it sound like she was sneezing when she said 'about you'.

Normally he'd find that highly interesting to hear the different accents humans had, but as of right now, that was on the back burner.

Hazel was awake!

"C-CAN I SEE HER?"

The nurse smiled knowingly, then replied.

"You may. But be careful. No rough hugs, or anything that might reopen her wounds."

"UNDERSTOOD."

Jenny then turned and made a 'follow me' motion. Papyrus easily caught up with her due to his long legs.

In the elevator, Jenny spoke again.

"Another thing... She can't see at the present moment... I believe the doctor warned you about that however."

"HOW LONG WILL IT LAST...?"

"Doc said two weeks tops if she keeps taking her medicine. Let's see... Room 409... 410... Ah. 411."

The nurse stood outside, waiting for him to go in. When he stepped inside, she nodded, then walked off.

Papyrus grew excited to see a familiar mop of dark brown hair resting on a propped up hospital bed. The person's eyes were closed, but he knew what color they were...

They were...

"HAZEL...?"

The person's head shot in the direction of his voice, their eyes opening.

"Papyrus... Is that you? It sounds like you but..."

"YES. IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS." he said. It didn't hold as much confidence as usual. But her smile made it seem like he had said it with his usual flair.

That smile, even though her eyes were golden voids, was so warm. All the pain in his chest melted away.

She was okay now. Hazel was okay.

"Hey Pap?"

"YES?"

"Can I... Touch you?" Her hands, free of the restraints from before, were extended his way.

Her question was an innocent one, filled with caution, as if worried he'd say no.

"OF COURSE."

Moving to sit on the edge of the bed, he grasped her smaller hands gently in his and lead them to his face.

She moved cautiously at first, as if afraid she'd break him if she moved too fast. Her slender fingers ghosted across his cranium with a feather light touch, moving to the sides of his skull, down his cheekbones, along his jaw, and finally stopping at his teeth.

Her face was red, which worried him at first, thinking it was a fever, but he realized she was blushing...

Removing her hands, he caught her left one in his.

"How is it your so warm? I always thought bones were cold... Is it because of your magic?"

He smiled, and even though he knew she couldn't physically see it, he knew that she knew it was there. He brought her hand to his chest, were a human's heart would be.

Underneath her palm, she felt a humming sensation.

"THAT IS MY SOUL YOU FEEL. ALL THE MAGIC I HAVE COMES FROM IT. MY BODY IS UNLIKE YOUR HUMAN ONES, IN THAT MINE IS MADE OF DUST. DUST, UNLIKE THE CALCIUM YOUR HUMAN BONES ARE MADE OF, IS ABLE TO GIVE OFF WARMTH. WHEN I DIE, I WILL RETURN TO DUST SINCE MY SOUL WILL NO LONGER EXIST IN THIS WORLD. UNDERSTAND?"

"... Yes..."

Leaning closer, Hazel rested her head on the spot where her hand had been.

Papyrus' skull might as well have been painted orange.

"It sounds like it's humming. It got faster all of a sudden... Is that normal?"

She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"I'm so glad your okay..."

 _'But your not_...' Papyrus wanted to say. ' _Your in the hospital because you wanted to save me. You have scars from when you were abused by someone before! And it's apparent the mental ones they may have left still bother you!_ ' he wanted to yell.

But he didn't. He wanted her to tell him herself. But every time he thought of that scar, he wanted to pry. Oh, how he wanted to pry...

But he wouldn't...

Gently wrapping his arms around her in return, he sighed.

Hopefully his patience would last.


	20. Of Shortcuts and German Grandmothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tablet broke... So no more chapters until i can get it fixed... Or a replacement... Sorry... T.T

When they finally pulled into the parking lot of the hospital Hazel was staying in, Frisk and Sans groaned to see that the news reporters outside from last night had only increased in numbers. A squad of police officers were standing outside as well, mainly to control the reporters and camera men.

 

“This is going to be a nightmare…” Sans said. “Unless…”

 

Frisk looked at him from the driver’s seat with a mischievous grin.

 

“Shortcut?” she asked.

 

Giving the monster ambassador a look of pride, he smirked as he replied.

 

“Shortcut.”

 

Grabbing her hand, he teleported them from the parking lot, into a janitor's closet on the hospital’s first floor. Using his magic again, Sans unlocked the door.

 

He still had Frisk’s hand in his. Her hair was a mess from the wind blowing it in the car. Anyone who saw them would assume that they had been in the closet for more than _‘innocent_ ’ reasons. So he peeked to see if anyone was outside. A single male nurse walked by, but disappeared around the corner.

 

“C’mon… Coast is clear.” he said.

 

They slowly made their way out to the lobby. They didn’t want to get in trouble with anyone who would realize they didn’t have visitor name tags, so they would abide by the rules. For now.

 

Once they reached the clerk in the emergency waiting room, they saw Papyrus wasn’t there.

 

“Hazel must have woken up early… But why didn't he call and tell us?” Frisk said.

 

“Maybe he wants her to himself for awhile? She _is_ getting pretty close to him after all…”

 

“...Is that bad?” she asked him.

 

“...That is yet to be seen…”

 

Frisk inwardly sighed in relief. At least Sans wasn’t the same as he was when they first met. Back then, he almost hated humans. Frisk felt it had to do with more than just the fallen children, but she wouldn’t ask. He deserved to withhold a few secrets from her. He had taken a chance with her because of Toriel, which thankfully worked out in the end despite the one genocide run. He still didn’t trust the other humans on the surface for the most part, but he had opened up a little. If he was giving Hazel a chance, that was a vast improvement.

 

Frisk prayed it would turn out alright for Hazel. She was such a nice girl. But those scars still left a chill down her back...

 

Once they got their name tags, a nurse had come to confirm their suspicions that Hazel had indeed woken up, and that Papyrus was with her. When they were escorted back, what Frisk saw made her pull out her phone.

 

Papyrus was asleep in a chair with his head on Hazel’s lap, as she also was asleep. Her hand was perched on his skull, as if she had been soothing him to sleep.

 

“That is too cute... “ Frisk whispered as she took a bunch of pictures.

 

“He probably fell asleep not long after he saw she was alright… That would be why he didn’t call.” Sans muttered, ignoring Frisk’s comment.

 

Frisk was carrying Hazel’s handbag which had been returned to dorm C last night.

 

Her wallet and everything important had been seemingly untouched. Of course, they did wonder where the box of spider muffins came from.

 

They would have put the bag in on her bed at the dorm, but they were curious…

 

Who had returned Hazel’s bag?

 

The girl in question, started to stir.

 

Opening her eyes, she yawned.

 

“Hey.” Sans said, causing Hazel to jolt, which in turn woke Papyrus.

 

“WHAT?! WHAT’S GOING ON?!”

 

Looking around he saw Sans.

 

“OH! HELLO SANS AND FRISK! HAZEL IS AWAKE.”

 

“Why did she jump all of a sudden when Sans spoke?” Frisk asked.

 

“I didn’t know you were there… I can’t see anything because of my head trauma.” Hazel said.

 

“Oh… My bad…” Sans said. “The nurse didn’t say anything about that.”

 

“No… You're okay. Just be more careful please?”

 

“Sure… But after you get better, I can’t guarantee a thing.”

 

Hazel chuckled.

 

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

All of a sudden there was a commotion from the hallway.

 

“Bei der Liebe Gottes! Könnten diese Reporter mein Enkelkind in Ruhe lassen! So eine Frechheit!” came a loud female voice. (1)

 

Hazel froze.

 

“Nana?” She said.

 

“NANA?” Papyrus asked.

 

All of a sudden, a small elderly woman stopped in front of the room, glancing in, she saw Hazel. The look on her face went from furious to heartsore in two seconds flat.

 

“Hazel! Oh my sweet granbaby!” she said rushing forward to give the girl a hug.

 

“Hallo Oma.”

 

“Where are the Dummkopfs responsible? I will hang them by their earlobes!”

 

“Nana. We will talk about that later… Right now, I want you to meet my friends…”

 

“Oh… right…”

 

Turning towards Frisk and the two brothers, the older woman smiled warmly, her eyes the same color as Hazel’s.

 

“How do you do? I am Sarah Griggs. Thank you for being here for my little Haselnuss…”

 

“Hazel did what?” Sans asked.

 

“Oh. Nana was born and raised in Germany most of her life. She moved to America with my grandfather twenty years ago. She still speaks German sometimes. Especially when someone ticks her off.”

 

“Those reporters in the lobby have some nerve harassing people. The minute they heard my last name, here they come! Asking me a bunch of ridiculous questions about how my granddaughter was attacked by a monster.”

 

“Wait… There saying Papyrus did this to me?” Hazel asked.

 

“...More or less…” Frisk sighed.

 

“But he didn’t!”

 

“Hazel, calm down… You are already hurt enough as it is. We don’t need another panic attack to get you hurt worse…” Sans said.

 

“She’s had panic attacks around you?” Sarah asked. Looking at her granddaughter, she hugged her again.

 

“YES… BUT WE DON’T MIND! WE’RE HERE TO SUPPORT HER THROUGH HER TROUBLING TIMES. SHE HAS BECOME VERY IMPORTANT TO US!” Papyrus stated.

 

“Yeah. Pap here stayed all night to make sure she would be okay.” Frisk said.

 

Hazel blushed.

 

“Anyways, me and Frisk brought your school bag. Someone returned it to the dorm last night, but no one knows who.” Sans said.

 

“Oh. Thanks guys.”

 

“No problem.” Frisk said.

 

Sans then spoke again.

 

“Hey, Pap, Frisk? How ‘bout we give Hazel and her grandmother some time alone? I’m sure they haven’t seen each other in awhile…”

 

“I think that’s a good idea Sans.”

 

“OKAY. WE WILL BE BACK LATER HUMAN HAZEL. IT WAS A GREAT HONOR MEETING YOU, MISS SARAH.”

 

“Likewise, Papyrus.”

 

“Bye Pap… See you later…” Hazel said as she waved.

 

As they left, Hazel’s grandma looked at her granddaughter with a sad smile.

  
Her Hazel was in love. They just grow up so fast…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1- means "For the love of God! Will these reporters back off my grandbaby?! The Nerve!"
> 
> Special thanks to Lana for being so kind to translate the German words properly. You are so awesome! :3


	21. It's Rude to Talk About Those Listening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I forgot to post this chapter...
> 
> There's a second one right after this one as an apology!

When Hazel felt her grandmother sit on the hospital bed, she knew her nana had a ton of questions brewing in her head.

 

“So...” her grandma started. “Tell me all about this Papyrus you seem to be  quite fond of.”

 

“Nana…we are just friends.”

 

“You sure? He seems awfully fond of you. Stayed overnight from what I hear... “

 

Hazel felt her face heat up. She tried to hide it from her grandmother.

 

“Too late to hide it now, schatz! I saw that blush.”

 

“I…I really like him, Nana…but I don’t want to chase him away by wanting a boyfriend-type relationship with him…”

 

“...Tell me everything that’s happened between you and him since you two met. It must have been recently you met him because you didn’t mention him the last time you called me, which was two weeks ago. Speaking of which, you need to call me more often Fräulein.”

 

“I know… And I will. But I’m serious. I don’t think he feels the same about me. He probably only sees me as a friend...”

 

“Perhaps, perhaps not… But for now, just give it time. Even if you like him, you shouldn’t rush into relationships like my son did. You know how well that turned out… At least your Opa and I got you out of it…”

 

“How is Grandpa?”

 

“He’s being a crotchety old geezer. What else? He still works on his cars despite the arthritis. Don’t think he will stop until his fingers fall off…”

 

“Does he still have that old volkswagon I like?”

 

“Of course. The beetle right? I never understood why you liked that small thing. Ever since you saw it in that one car show you went to with your father when you were four and told him you wanted it for your first car, your grandpa had it saved in his shop for you. $200 dollars for a piece of junk… But he still works on the blasted thing. Why didn’t you pick a car more easily fixable? You have a license and everything…”

 

“That would be the smart thing to do, wouldn’t it?” Hazel joked.

 

Sighing, she rested her head in her hands. “I just can’t think of having another one… Daddy bought that car for me because he loved me enough to indulge my little fantasy of driving in it.”

 

“... It won’t be a fantasy forever, love. Your Uncle Caleb said he would work on it if you wanted him too.”

 

“ I know… I think I might let him. He may not know about cars as much as Daddy did, but he still does have Dad’s old garage running pretty good. Maybe him and his employees can do more than Grandpa can…I feel bad having Grandpa work on it in his condition anyways… I still appreciate what he has done though.”

 

“I’m sure he knows. Now…I want to know  everything about this little crush of yours…”

 

She gulped.

 

Her nana wouldn’t stop pestering her about it until she knew  exactly every little thing Hazel knew about Papyrus.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Frisk sat in the hospital cafeteria with her friends sipping at some tea. It was just regular cranberry tea, and as much as Frisk preferred golden flower tea, she found she was starting to like this new flavor as well.

 

Papyrus was back to his usual, cheerful self now that Hazel was confirmed to be alright. He was bantering with Sans as usual, Sans making puns, and Papyrus getting on him about it, even making a pun of his own on occasion. She loved moments like these when everything was so carefree and fun.

 

She was surprised Pap’s naturally loud voice hadn’t gotten him in trouble yet.

 

She also kept having a strange feeling…

 

It was familiar to her. Yet it was something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. It started when she saw Hazel asleep with Papyrus. It’d been very brief, but it was there.

 

She wondered if Sans had felt it too.

 

That feeling of someone not visible standing behind you…watching your every single move…

 

Glancing at Sans as Papyrus went to get some more tea, Frisk opened her mouth to speak. 

 

“Did you feel that presence too? In the room with Hazel as we walked in the door?” he asked before she could get a word out.

 

Sighing since he stole her thunder, she nodded.

 

“You know who that is, don’t you? You said you felt him before.”

 

“I do know. But he’s still back in that place in Mt. Ebott… Or he should be. We know why he would be here, but why around her?” she replied.

 

“Maybe the same reason he was around you? Or maybe not. From what I remember, he always was a hard being to figure out.”

 

“Well, they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

 

“Oh please, I’m not that hard to figure out. I’m just a lazy bones skeleton with a love for jokes and ketchup.”

 

“Cut the crap; we both know better, Sans.”

 

“Alright…I have my secrets. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy keeping them. “

 

“I know, Sans...I know.”

  
As Papyrus made his way back to them, Sans said one last thing. “Gaster just better not be up to something…”


	22. Coming Home

The week Hazel stayed at the hospital was, for lack of a better word, boring.

 

With the exception of her new friends visiting her, she really had nothing to do aside from sleeping between tests. Additionally, she was adjusting to her blindness pretty well. The doctor even said she should start getting her vision back little by little next week. She’d need to see an eye doctor for a stronger pair of glasses, but other than the scars she’d have, she would be as good as she was before.

 

Her grandmother had to, unfortunately, return to Georgia after a few days, but Hazel understood her nana needed to be there for her Grandpa. Grandpa always got into trouble whenever she wasn't around...

 

However, it was Sunday, and she was finally heading back to her dorm!

 

The media ceased harassing her friends once Dean Harper discovered the security tape of the water fountain in the courtyard. Apparently, a lot of kids liked to "decorate" the eagle as a prank, so she had one set up. She seemed to have forgotten about it during the stress of the incident.

 

The video had an audio to it, letting them hear all the antagonizing the boys gave Papyrus, and it was seen that Hazel got hurt defending him. The media instantly changed its story around, and the video was on television.

 

Regardless, things settled down for the most part. She received get-well flowers from both Frisk and Papyrus. Alphys and Undyne sent her a card. And Sans got her a joke book.

 

She couldn't wait to be able to read the book and cards. And to see the flowers...

 

Her new friends were more than she could ever ask for. She could only pray they wouldn't leave her anytime soon...

 

...Especially Papyrus...

 

She felt bad because they had to cancel teaching him how to make lemonade. He kept telling her it was okay, saying they could do it when she got better.

 

Hearing a knock, Hazel turned her head to where she supposed the door was.

 

"Miss Griggs? This is Doctor Lloyd speaking. How are you feeling?" Said a male voice she recognized as her doctor.

 

"Much better. Especially since I can go home today. No offense, but it's pretty boring here."

 

He chuckled. "None taken. Now, your friends are here. They brought you some clothes for you to change into. Do you need a nurse to help you?"

 

"No. I can do it myself."

 

"As you wish," he said, setting what she guessed were the clothes on her lap. 

 

"I'll get your discharge papers filled out for you as you get ready. You might want to follow up with your therapist though. Your head  did  get hurt pretty badly. We want to make sure this won't affect you psychologically, either."

 

"Thanks, Doc."

 

"No problem."

 

Picking up the clothes, Hazel walked five steps toward the bathroom and dressed. She was so glad to get out of here; she hated hospitals.

 

The whole time she'd been here, she'd either felt like she was being watched (which she technically was by the nurses, but this was different), or she would have strange dreams involving a dark figure with a cracked skeletal face. It never did anything, just stood there, staring at her. If she tried to interact with it, she’d wake up...

 

Whenever she was dressing or anything like that, the staring would disappear. Like it was giving her  some privacy. She was starting to get used to it, but she was always aware it was there.

 

Like when she asked Papyrus to take her to the courtyard in the middle of the hospital lobby that one time. Papyrus went to get some coffee for Hazel, and the second he was gone, the staring returned, but vanished when Papyrus came back.

 

During the first few days of the school week, Papyrus spent the most time with her. Sans had work, and Frisk had school. But Papyrus would help her in a wheelchair and take her around the hospital. He seemed excited the first time they passed by the nursery.

 

"OH MY GOSH HUMAN HAZEL! LOOK AT ALL THE TINY HUMANS! THEY ARE SMALLER THAN FRISK WAS WHEN WE FIRST MET!" he had shout-whispered.

 

He decided he liked the nursery. They visited it once a day. Hazel couldn't see the newborns, but Papyrus' joy at seeing them made her smile all the same.

 

Finishing up, she stepped back into the room where a nurse announced she was waiting for her with a wheelchair to take her to her friends.

 

They may have been dreams, but Hazel kept getting a strange vibe from them. Nothing bad. Just... weird...

 

They had to mean something if she kept seeing that strange being...

 

...Right?

 

 

* * *

 

 

The ride home was filled with chatter as Hazel enjoyed the feeling of wind blowing her hair back. She’d missed the fresh air, as well as the feeling of the autumn sun on her skin.

 

"IT'S SUCH A WONDERFUL DAY! I LOVE THE WEATHER CHANGES THEY HAVE ON THE SURFACE!" Papyrus said happily.

 

"You mean it never changes underground?" Hazel asked.

 

Sans spoke up. "It does. But not like on the surface. If you’re in Snowdin, it snows all the time. Waterfall is wet, and Hotland is hot. You want a weather change? You walk to it."

 

"Wow..."

 

Hazel was starting to wish she could see such an amazing place...

 

Feeling the car slow down to a stop, and Papyrus turn off the ignition, Hazel realized they must be there.

 

Hearing the others get out of the car, Hazel did the same, feeling around for the seatbelt to undo it. She opened the door, testing the ground to see she didn't step in a gutter.

 

"HAZEL? WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HELP?"

 

"Yes, please. Thank you, Papyrus."

 

Taking his gloved hand into hers, he helped her get inside. Once she reached the threshold, she started counting her steps.

 

Sixteen forward and seven left to the stairs, nineteen steps on the first flight of stairs, twenty one on the next. All the while, Papyrus guided her.

 

When they finally reached her and Frisk's room, she sat down on the bed. It felt so good to be back in her own bed!

 

"HAZEL, YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THAT YOU PAINTED..." Papyrus commented in a surprised tone.

 

"I didn't? Oh...yeah. I want to illustrate the pages for my book I want to write. Frisk and Toriel told me it might be something you would like..."

 

"DOES IT HAVE A HAPPY ENDING?"

 

"It's not finished yet, but yes. It will have a happy ending. Would you like to hear it?" Hazel had the words of her book memorized by heart by now.

 

"DEFINITELY!"

 

Laying on her bed, she started. However, halfway through the story, she started to fall asleep.

 

"... No mother...No...Father...No dog with a...(Yawn)...bone..." she mumbled as her eyes drifted shut.

 

They stayed closed as Papyrus tucked her in. Standing there for a second, he moved to press his teeth to her cheek, only for her to unconsciously move, his teeth grazing against her lips.

 

His face bloomed a deep orange,  and he jolted backwards, nearly crashing into her bookshelf.

  
Hiding his burning face in his scarf, he left the room, quickly yet quietly.


	23. Dark, Darker, yet Darker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates... Here's three to make up for it!

In a room decorated much like the one he had back underground, Papyrus paced back and forth, muttering as quietly as possible - which still sounded like average talking - about what just happened ten minutes ago.

He _kissed_ Hazel! It was an accident, but it still happened!

She'd been asleep, so she hadn’t willingly done it, but should he tell her and apologize?

…

No, definitely not!

She would freak out, think he was acting too forward when he wasn’t, and probably stop wanting to be his friend. He didn’t want that. He feared she would bottle up again if that happened…

And he couldn’t bear to see that happen. She was making such good progress.

So that meant to just keep quiet about it. He could do that. Definitely. All of a sudden, his phone stared ringing. Recognizing the ringtone, he knew it was Undyne.

“H-HELLO UNDYNE!” he answered.

“Took ya long enough to answer bonehead! Hey, how’s Hazel? Heard she was coming home today!”

“H-HAZEL?!? UM… SH-SHE’S GOOD! SHE’S ASLEEP! NOTHING LIKE KISSING OR ANYTHING GOING ON!”

Crap! Did he just…?

Undyne was silent for a full twenty-two seconds. Then…

“ALPHYS! PAPYRUS KISSED HAZEL! OH MY GOD! UPDATE THE SHIPPING WALL!”

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, UNDYNE! SHE FELL ASLEEP AND I WAS AIMING FOR HER CHEEK WHEN SHE MOVED AND I HIT HER LIPS INSTEAD!” Papyrus whisper-yelled. “AND WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A SHIPPING WALL?!”

“Oh…damn…hang on Alph, it was an accidental one!”

“IT STILL C-COUNTS IN MY BOOK!” Came Alphys’ reply in the background.

Undyne chuckled at her girlfriend before returning to her phone call with Papyrus.

“Anyways, we’re coming over today to see her. Alphys wants to return Hazel’s manga and we both want to chat with her. We won’t say anything about your ‘kiss’ to her…”

Papyrus let out a breath in relief.

“…IF, you ask her out on a date when she is fully healed!”

He sputtered. “WH-WHAT?!”

“You heard me! And make sure you wear something other than your usual dating outfit!”

“WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? AND I CAN’T JUST ASK HAZEL-“

“You _so_ can! Where’s all that confidence you usually have?!”

Sighing, Papyrus gave in. When Undyne made up her mind, she rarely changed it. She would pester him until he actually went through with it.

“FINE! I’LL ASK HER. BUT IF SHE SAYS NO, THAT’S IT!”

“Good! Better be looking for some new threads, dork!”

“RIGHT… SEE YOU SOON, UNDYNE.”

* * *

 

Here she was again: the same dark room with the same strange being.

Hazel stared at him as he studied her. His skeletal face with cracks along his right brow and below his left eye. His slender, boney hands with holes in the centers of the palm laying at his sides. His contorted black body.

Sitting on the floor, she crossed her legs. “You know… You don’t have to keep disappearing every time I talk to you…”

She sat, expecting him to vanish after her sentence. But…this time he stayed.

“Well, that’s an improvement. Can I ask you something?”

He didn’t respond. Just stared at her curiously.

“I guess I’ll take that as a yes. Are…are you the one watching me?”

The being stood still, then…

“ ** _YeS…_** ” Came a strange voice. It sounded like it was from an old time radio. It was full of static.

“Ca-can… I ask why?”

“ ** _HeLp_** …”

She waited a minute, seeing if he would elaborate.

He didn’t.

“Help? Help who? Is someone in danger? Who are you?”

All the new questions seem to make him contort worse… Like he was convulsing…

“Sir?! Are you okay?!”

She was inwardly panicking. Was he dying?!

“ ** _NaMe… iS… GaStEr…?_** ” He said, as if questioning himself.

“Gaster…?” Hazel asked.

His gaze shot up to hers again. Then he let out an ear piercing screech as he faded away.

Shooting up in bed, Hazel tried to catch her breath.

Feeling a set of hands on her,  she nearly jolted.

“Hazel? Are you alright?”

It was Frisk…

“…I think I am…? I don’t know about Gaster, though…”

“…How do you know that name?”

“I keep seeing someone named Gaster in my dreams. I don’t know if he’s real or not, but…I can’t help but feel like he is. And I think he’s in a lot of pain…”

Frisk stayed silent. If Hazel could feel Frisk’s shock, she'd probably go silent as well.

“I need to get Sans…” Frisk finally stated, her tone dead serious.

Hazel gazed at her in concern, suddenly feeling rather nervous about the whole thing. “Why? Is something wrong?”

“There’s something we both need to talk to you about…”

“Okay…?”


	24. Of Strange Questions and Boxes of Fun

Hazel didn’t need to see to know Sans was anything but his usual jolly self when he sat on the edge of her bed.

“So… Frisk says your seeing visions of a being who called himself ‘Gaster’. Care to tell me about it?”

Swallowing, Hazel suddenly felt nervous. What if they thought she was insane? They would call somebody, and she’d have to see a doctor who would admit her into a mental hospital… Where she might stay…

As if sensing the reason for her hesitation, Sans rested a hand on her lap.

“Don’t worry, you aren’t crazy. He is real.”

“You’ve seen him too?” she asked.

She heard him sigh, and felt him take his hand back.

“… I have… But why don’t you tell me more about your experiences with him first.”

“… I’ve been seeing him since the morning of the day when I got… these…” she said, gesturing to her injuries.

“I see…”

“… I keep having the feeling of being watched, which I now know is him. He does it almost all the time, except for when I need a bit of privacy… And until this last time, I had dreams where we were both standing in a dark room, and when I tried to talk to him, I would wake up. But this last time, he responded to me…”

“What did he say?” Sans pressed.

“He only really said three words. They were just responses to my questions. If he was watching me, who he was, and what he wanted…”

“… Did he say what it was he wanted?”

“… Help. I am not fully certain… But he seemed like he was in a lot of pain when he left… I think he wants help. And to be honest… I-I’m scared for him…”

Sans remained silent for a long time.

Then…

“This is a question that may seem irrelevant, but if someone, a parent that is, had a child and then killed themselves out of extreme grief, like over the loss of their spouse, would that child have the right to hate their parent? For abandoning them in their time of need?”

Hazel sat there with confusion on her face. Why would Sans ask that?

Still she thought about it, then answered.

“… It would be understandable to be mad at them, yes. Perhaps for a very long time even. But if they were so madly in love with their spouse, they might have lost sight of what was important. Long enough for them to do something stupid that would not have been reversible. Everyone makes mistakes, even parents. But I think, deep down, the child would never really hate them. Just feel sad that they didn’t think of them before making such a bad decision.”

He was quiet again…

“Did that answer your question?” Hazel asked quietly.

“… Yeah… I got to go check on the other students…”

“But what about Gaster? What if he is really dying?”

“I don’t think you can kill someone who is already dead…” he said before he was gone.

 

* * *

 

When Undyne and Alphys arrived 25 minutes later, Hazel was still in a daze over Sans’ last comment about Gaster.

However, that was knocked out of her quite literally when Undyne dropped a box on her stomach, Making Hazel let out a wheeze of air.

“Undyne! B-Be careful! You c-could re-open her injuries!” Alphys scolded.

“Don’t worry Alph. If she’s tough enough to survive getting those injuries by protecting Papyrus, she can handle a little box landing on her gut. Ain’t that right punk?!” Undyne said running her hand roughly through Hazel’s hair, thankfully avoiding the stitches. Then again, the injury was almost closed, but better safe than sorry.

Still, Hazel just nodded agreement with Undyne. The box only weighed ten pounds.

“What’s in the box?” she asked.

“Oh! I f-finished that m-manga series you loaned me… And I b-brought over some of my older m-manga and anime DVDs that y-you can read and watch when your eyes get b-better.”

“Ooh! Really? Thanks so much!”

“Hey, no prob. But in return, you got to have a sleepover with me, Alphys, and Frisk next weekend.” Undyne said.

“… A sleepover? Wow… I… don’t think I’ve ever been to a sleepover before…”

“It’ll be fun! Trust me! Normally we watch anime all night, but we will save that for another night unless your eyes are better by then. But we could still eat popcorn, do our nails, and tell scary stories!”

“Huh… In that case, sure. Count me in!”

Undyne did a fist bump with Alphys. They had more than just scary stories and pop corn planned for their sleep over.

Poor Hazel had no idea what was coming…


	25. Making Friends with Shadows

You would think doing college schoolwork would be impossible for Hazel when she couldn’t see, but with her good buddy Alphys helping her by installing a speech to text program on her laptop, she managed to get through most of it. She was caught up with most of her work from the previous week by Wednesday.

She was managing making her way around the house rather well too. By counting her steps, and using her sense of touch, she could find her way to just about anywhere in the house. Papyrus was rather surprised to find her rifling through the kitchen when he got back from his morning run the first time.

**_“HUMAN HAZEL? WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN HERE?” he had said as walked into kitchen Monday morning._ **

**_“Morning Pap! I was just trying to find out my way around the kitchen for a cup of coffee.”_ **

**_“YOU MADE IT DOWN HERE BY YOURSELF?”_ **

**_“Well… yeah. But I was careful though.” She said as she opened a cabinet to feel around for the coffee beans and creamer._ **

**_He gently grasped her by the shoulders and led her to the table, with Hazel fussing that she could do it herself._ **

**_“HAZEL… YOUR HOLDING A BOTTLE OF DISH SOAP… AND LAST TIME I CHECKED, YOU HAVEN’T BEEN SWEARING, SO NO NEED TO WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP.”_ **

**_She laughingly backed down, and let him help make her coffee and breakfast after that._ **

After that, every time she tried to go downstairs in the mornings, Papyrus would be by the staircase waiting for her. She understood he worried about her getting hurt, but he really didn’t have to go out of his way for her like that…

But today was the day she was getting her bandages taken off, and just in time too. The sleepover at Undyne and Alphys’ apartment was tonight. She was looking forward to watching anime with them and just seeing her friends in general…

She was currently sitting in the living room to wait for the doctor to show up. He had called yesterday to say he would make a house call that morning. She had managed to make her way down to the couch with only stubbing her toe on the ottoman next to one of the recliners, so she would say she did pretty good. Papyrus would be scolding her something fierce if he found out she wandered about when he was in class. She hoped the appointment was over before he came to pick her up for their Cooking class.

Hearing the doorbell, Hazel hollered she was on her way, making her way as quickly to the door as she could without tripping or crashing into anything. She nearly knocked over a vase, but she made it.

Opening the door, she spoke cautiously.

“Doctor Goldstein? Right?”

“Yes. Judging from those bandages, you are Miss Griggs, no?” came a deep male voice.

“Y-yes. Please come in.”

An hour later, the bandages had been removed, and Hazel was wearing a pair of prescription sunglasses. The doctor had left, giving her a note that explained to her teachers about the sunglasses, for her sight was still a bit sensitive at the moment, but within a few hours it would return. But she would still need the sunglasses for a few days until they adjusted to the light again.

Thanking him, Hazel went back to the living room. Sitting down, she pulled out her phone and started listening to some music to pass the time until 12:30.

However, she turned it off when she felt eyes on her yet again.

“You know, it’s near impossible for a person to feel lonely when your constantly hanging about…” she said.

The fact was, Hazel had made a habit of talking to Gaster when she was alone. Well, semi-alone. He couldn’t respond, but she didn’t mind making up a one-sided conversation. At first, it was kind of strange talking to what seemed like air, but she grew used to it. At least he was a great listener.

“I can’t wait to hang out with the girls tonight. I’m assuming you will be staying here while I am gone, but you know what that say about assuming things. At least I can trust you to not stare at me while I am dressing. I will miss not being able to wake up and see Papyrus first thing in the morning though. He always brightens up my day, even if I can’t see his smile. But thankfully, that won’t be a problem here in a few hours. Still, he just such a happy, sweet, loving guy. It’s impossible not to like him.”

Sighing, Hazel changed her position on the couch from sitting upright, to having her legs dangling over the back of the couch and her head hanging upside down. She loved to sit like that to read, and just think. It gave her a new perspective on things. Either that, or the blood rushing to her head just made her thought process become more fluid… Either or.

Papyrus had been acting strangely all week. At least around her it seemed. He still touched her, but it was so light, as if he was afraid to…

But why? Had she done something to frighten him?

She sincerely hoped not… If this was the beginning of the end of their friendship… She really didn’t know how she would take it…

Hearing a car pull up in the driveway, Hazel shook off the feeling of melancholy and told Gaster a quick ‘see you later.’

Sitting up, Hazel heard the front door open and the unmistakable voice of Papyrus call her name.

“Right here.” she said, standing up.

“LET ME GUESS… YOU SNUCK DOWN HERE AGAIN…”

“Nope. I used a magic carpet!” she said with a smile and a thumbs up.

Restraining a snicker,  Papyrus reached for her hand.

“WELL, WHAT DID THE DOCTOR SAY?”

“He said my vision should be back within two hours, but to keep these totally awesome shades on until Tuesday.”

“THAT’S WONDERFUL!” he said.

“I know! I’m so excited to see everyone again. I love to hear your voices, don’t get me wrong, but I really miss seeing you guys smile when you laugh.”

“WELL, YOU WON’T HAVE TO WAIT LONG. NOW, WE SHOULD GET GOING TO MAKE IT IN TIME FOR CLASS.”

“You got it. Lead the way.”


	26. Pre-party Madness

Studying the girl sitting next to him in his car, Papyrus tried to refrain from glancing at her lips for what seemed to be the millionth time that day. All through their class he had to fight to remain focused on his cooking. And he was still fighting as they sat waiting for Sans and Frisk to finish with their own classes.

 

Ever since that accidental kiss, a lot of his thoughts were about how soft Hazel's lips had been. Every time he tried to brush aside these thoughts, they would come back stronger the second he saw her again. He even grew nervous about touching her, seeing as he kept getting the urge to grab her and pull her close. Something that would surely frighten her...

 

But he could see she had noticed that something was wrong. She grew confused when he seemed to not want to touch her, and he had been glad he couldn't see her eyes, knowing as he did that they would be filled with hurt. However, once those sunglasses were gone, he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance.

 

The past three weeks, she had made a drastic change. You wouldn't recognize her former self. Hazel now had no problems with stuttering around him and the others, except when she was around a lot of people she didn't know. She didn't spend as much time hiding in her room, instead wanting to be around them, playing games, chatting, and just doing social activities. She was doing great, except when it came to new people, she would briefly revert to her old self...

 

"Pap?" she said all of a sudden.

 

"YES HAZEL?"

 

"Want to play a game?"

 

"SURE."

 

"Awesome! I'll start." Then she turned towards him. "I spy, with my nearly healed eyes, someone who is the greatest guy I've ever met."

 

"... YOU MEAN...?"

 

"Yep! I can see you again!"

 

Without really thinking, Papyrus pulled her into a hug while she giggled, returning it as much as she could.

 

"THIS IS FANTASTIC! YOUR EYES ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY HEALED!"

 

Papyrus then realized he was snuggling her.  He was so close, he could smell the pomegranate and mango scent of her shampoo.

 

Then he realized something else...

 

If she was almost completely better, that meant he would have to ask her on a date soon. If he didn't, Undyne would tell her about that kiss!

 

"Pap? Is something wrong, you went stiff all of a sudden..."

 

Releasing her he tried to stammer out a reply.

 

"TH-THE GREAT P-PAPYRUS IS J-JUST FINE! I JUST... THOUGHT I SAW SOMETHING!"

 

Frowning, Hazel let out a weak "Okay..."

 

Papyrus felt a sharp twist in his chest.

 

Maybe he should be honest with her about that kiss. At least then she would understand why he was nervous about touching her...

 

It really hurt to keep making her sad because he was afraid of her reaction. Maybe she would understand that it was just an accident.

 

But she wouldn't understand if he was being honest about wanting to do it again. And not as an accident.

 

Internally letting out a groan, he knew that kissing your friends in a non-platonic way was a no-no. Unless you wanted to be more than friends.

 

Did he...?

 

He shook off the thought. That was too much to think about at the moment...

 

Still, there had to be something to make her smile again...

 

Wait... He knew of something. He just wouldn't like it...

 

"HEY HAZEL... WHAT DO SKELETONS SAY BEFORE THEY EAT?"

 

She looked at him, mouth agape.

 

"P-Paps... Y-you don't have to-"

 

"I INSIST! NOW, WHAT DO SKELETONS SAY BEFORE THEY EAT?"

 

Smiling already, she said, "I don't know. What do they say?"

 

"BONE APETIT'E!"

 

Hazel started chuckling so much, she was doubled over while holding her stomach.

 

Papyrus felt good despite the inward screeching he was doing at himself. He was just glad Sans hadn't been there to see it. He would never let him live it down.

 

But seeing Hazel smile again, he was certain it would have been worth it.

 

Wiping the tears out of her eyes, Hazel let out a happy sigh. She seemed much better now.

 

Until the sounds of shouting could be heard.

 

With their heads turned towards the sound, Hazel and Papyrus saw Frisk yelling at a human boy.

 

"How dare you! I've already told you Mitch! I'm not interested! You have some gall to touch me like that!"

 

"What?! You think your better than me because your famous?! I bet you have a crush on one of those freaks you love so much! Is that it?!"

 

Frisk's eyes widened, then she growled and turned to walk away, only for Mitch to grab her.

 

Papyrus made a move to intervene, but stopped. Hazel looked at him, wondering what he was doing.

 

"DON'T WORRY. IT'S ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF." he said.

 

Indeed it was, for Sans had shown up... He did not look happy...

 

"Whelp... What do we have here?"

 

The normally goofy sound of his voice was now like ice. His eye sockets were pitch black.

 

"Sans, it's okay... I can handle it..." Frisk said.

 

"Oh wow... Not only are you with a freak, but he's a teacher? Your a new level of low..." Mitch said.

 

"Don't you dare talk about Sans/Frisk like that!" Both of them shouted at him.

 

Mitch let go of Frisk before muttering a stuttered 'whatever'. Then he quickly walked off with his tail between his legs.

 

Quickly glancing at Sans, Frisk turned away. A faint blush was visible on her cheeks. However, Frisk pulled up a purple scarf over the lower half of her face before walking over to the car. Sans quickly followed behind as he regained his composure.  A dusting of blue coated his cheekbones.

 

Mutually deciding not to say anything, Papyrus started the ignition as Hazel stared at the scenery, fully enjoying the fact that she could see it again. 

 

* * *

 

 

"I'm sorry you and Papyrus had to see that..." Frisk said as she and Hazel were packing their overnight bags for the sleep over.

 

"It's okay. But... Are you alright?" Hazel said, sorting through her pajamas for a pair she might want to wear.

 

"It's nothing. That guy has just been trying to ask me out since the first day, despite the fact I keep telling him no. Up until today, I've just ignored him, but he went too far today when he groped me on the rear."

 

"Are you serious?! I would have slapped the spit out of him!"

 

"I would have, but that would have lead to more problems... I'm sure you know that, even though I am adopted, being the only child of the king and queen of monsters as well as the ambassador for monster-kind, I have to set examples... If one of the female monsters did that just because I had, not only would I get in trouble, but she would be accused of attacking them, and then it would cause a whole bunch of snafus with the government..."

 

"What a bunch of crap! I've about had it past here with all the monster racism!" Hazel said, holding her hand slightly above her head.

 

"You and me both..."

 

Sighing, they both decided to change the subject.

 

"So, your eyesight is back I take it..." Frisk said.

 

"Yep! I would have said something, but you and Sans looked like you'd rather be left alone in the car."

 

"True... But now that you can see, what do you think of the flowers me and Papyrus got you when you were at the hospital?"

 

Hazel glanced over at the orange tiger lilies sitting in their pot. Giving Frisk a smile, she responded with "I love them! Did my Grandma tell you they were my favorite flower?"

 

"She did. Even said you used to work at a flower shop for a summer job when you lived with her. She went on about how you used to decorate the cards attached to the bouquets. She said you made the store more money when you worked there than when you didn't."

 

"Trust her to make something as simple as telling you my favorite flower into a full story about my life."

 

Frisk didn't mention that Hazel's grandmother seemed to be highly fond of Papyrus. Mrs. Sarah Griggs had told Papyrus lots of things about Hazel growing up, with her and Sans listening. She even showed a picture of her granddaughter when she was three. Papyrus gushed over the picture of a little girl in pig tails with a big sun hat and poorly applied make up, serving tea to stuffed animals and a man with dark hair that they assumed was her father. Her eyes were glowing a warm golden color as she smiled without a care in the world at the man who was going the extra mile just to make that a reality.

 

She seemed so happy then... Whatever had happened to her to make her so reclusive must had happened in her later years. But, she was admittedly doing better. Still, she seemed to be holding back a bit... As if she expected it to be snatched away within a moment's notice.

 

So many mysteries surrounded this poor girl...

 

Just then, loud thumping sounds could be heard in the hallway, before Undyne burst through their door.

 

"OKAY NERDS! YOU READY TO PARTY!"

 

Alphys, who was tucked under her exuberant girlfriend's arm, squeeked "W-we got a marathon of Rurouni Kenshin planned tonight!"

 

Hazel gasped.

 

"No way! I haven't seen that one since I was eight! Tonight is going to be amazing!"

 

"YOU KNOW IT! ESPECIALLY SINCE PAPYRUS SAID YOU'D BE ABLE TO SEE IT!" Undyne yelled at the top of her lungs.

 

Frisk smiled.

 

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." she said.

 

Running out the door with quick goodbyes to the skelebros, Undyne started the ignition and tore the pavement all the way to her and Alphys' house.

 

Tonight would be a night Hazel wouldn't soon forget. As soon as she could detach her nails from the driver's seat that is...


	27. Slumer Party part 1

Stepping inside the two story home of Alphys and Undyne, Hazel's eyes tried to absorb all of the anime-related items tucked into almost every corner, however, it proved to be impossible. There was just too much to look at!

 

Figurines, plushies, and endless manga littered the many bookshelves in the living room, wall scrolls and posters decorated the walls, and close to the television were countless DVDs!

 

It was an otaku's fondest dream!

 

"You weenies make yourselves comfortable while I get some drinks fixed! Hazel, I know what everyone else wants but what would you like?" Undyne said.

 

"Um... Milk? Please, if you have it."

 

"... I swear, you and Papyrus are just meant for each other..." Undyne muttered with a toothy grin, before heading towards the kitchen.

 

"What?"

 

Undyne continued walking, either not hearing her, or pretending to.

 

'Maybe she just means me and Papyrus are meant to be friends? Yeah, that's it...' Hazel told herself.

 

Regardless, her face still felt a bit warm...

 

Trying to look around for something to distract her mind, that was when she noticed the gorgeous wooden banister leading down from the second floor...

 

It was just so shiny and smooth...

 

And suddenly, Hazel found herself sorely tempted to slide down the beautiful wooden rail. It was practically begging for it!

 

But she couldn't! It wasn't her house and she would feel awkward asking Undyne or Alphys! 

 

But it looked so smooth! Definitely a prime candidate for a fast ride! She could already feel the whoosh of air in her face!

 

Ugh! It just wasn't fair!

 

"Ummm... H-Hazel? Your staring awfully hard at th-the staircase... Is something wrong?" Alphys said from behind her.

 

"I... I'm... Uh... N-nothing..."

 

"Are y-you sure?"

 

'Nothing is sure in this life! Please let me slide down the banister Alphys! I will not die peacefully until I do!'

 

"Y-yes..."

 

"I-if you say so... The b-banister sure is nice th-though."

 

'You have no idea...'

 

"It's very pretty." Hazel admitted.

 

"Hazel... If you want to s-slide down the banister, all you h-have to do is ask..."

 

"Am I that obvious...?" Hazel laughed.

 

"If Papyrus saw the way you looked at that banister, I'm quite sure he would be jealous." Frisk said from the living room couch.

 

"I-I don't see h-how... I m-mean... It's not like he l-likes me romantically, r-right?" Clearing her throat to get rid of her stutter, she continued. "Besides, the banister and I are merely acquaintances. I don't think it's legal to marry a wooden rail in the first place..."

 

"Does that mean you would want to marry Paps one day?!" Undyne teased from the kitchen.

 

Hazel felt her face burn as it turned red enough to resemble a lobster. Hiding her face in her hands, she tried to stumble out a reply.

 

"I-I... I'm going to go change into m-my pajamas now!" she said before bolting upstairs.

 

"Bathroom is on the left!" Undyne spit out between her loud chuckles.

 

Hazel hid inside the bathroom, cursing the deep blush on her face...

 

Marriage to Papyrus? That was ridiculous! They were just friends! What were they thinking teasing her about something like that? Sure, she liked him, maybe a lot...

 

Maybe more than just friends...

 

Wait... What? 

 

It was too soon to be thinking like that!

 

Sure he was sweet, yes he was charming, and definitely he would make some person very happy one day, but that person would never be her.

 

Besides, three weeks of knowing someone was not enough time to fall in love with them...

 

...was it?

 

There wasn't really an official rule book somewhere that said you couldn't love someone in a certain amount of time...

 

Wait... What was she thinking?! 

 

Did she want to end up with a broken heart when all of it came to an end? There was no probably about it either! As soon as they found out the real her, they would become disgusted with her and leave!

 

So why become attached to someone she could never have?

 

Feeling her chest throb painfully, Hazel changed into her red pajama set with the sleeping kittens on them.

 

Exiting the bathroom, she glanced at the banister again...

 

Well, she did have permission...

 

Grinning with excitement, she climbed on, and let gravity do its' job.

 

Feeling the rush of air in her face, she let out a giggle of joy. That is, until she accidentally overshot and ended up crashing onto the floor at the bottom.

 

However, she sat up laughing like crazy despite the soreness in her body.

 

Looking towards the living room to apologize for crashing onto their floor, Hazel gawked at the phone pointed at her, camera light on. Undyne was grinning like no tomorrow.

 

"That one is definitely going on the Undernet!"

 

Hazel stuck her tongue out.

 

"Your just jealous of my graceful reflexes! My amazing landing will leave millions speechless!"

 

Then all four of them bust out laughing.

 

* * *

 

 

Sans and Papyrus had been having a quiet evening...

 

Papyrus was watching a Mettaton film, while Sans was grading papers from his class and keeping an eye on his brother and the few students who were brave enough to venture into the living room with them. He had his eye on the front door too, should anyone try to sneak in or out.

 

Three of the students, two girls and one boy, were willing to overlook the difference in species, and sit with Papyrus when he offered for them to watch the movie with him. That made Sans smile a bit. At least Frisk and Hazel weren't the only humans willing to see monsters as equals.

 

Sans had finally come to the conclusion that Hazel was no threat to his brother. While he still wasn't particularly thrilled about the slowly blooming romance between them, he wasn't exactly against it.

 

Her soul did leave him with a lot of questions however... And those scars still got his curiosity burning...

 

When he first got a good look at her soul, he was confused. The reason being that souls were normally a solid color. They came in many different shades and hues, but were solid in color according to the one trait that stuck out most in their personality. Monster souls were white, but the traits were still visible to those who knew what to look for. Human souls were just more easy to read.

 

When a soul was more than one color, it was usually a soul bearing the color of their soul mate, a sign that the soul was no longer available for romantic pursuits, or it was expecting children, and the other colors represented the soul of the new life. The mark of a soul mate was that of a ring surrounding the soul that matched the color of their partners' soul. The signs of new life were smaller white souls inside the parent soul, which would turn into their color as they grew older and sorted out who they wanted to be in life.

 

But Hazel's soul was not following any of these rules...

 

Her soul was a pale pink, almost like that of a cherry blossom. That was the color of a soul with COMPASSION. But a red outline of DETERMINATION glowed dimly around it. Overlapping it, like a shield...

 

And the glow of DETERMINATION shined fiercely whenever Hazel was in danger. Other times however, it was barely visible.

 

But one thing was for certain, the DETERMINATION was not hers...

 

She didn't show any signs of EXP, and her LV was still at one. So she had never killed another despite the scar on her back. So, why did she have another soul in her body when she was still single and not with child?

 

He was pulled from his thoughts when his phone buzzed.

 

Seeing that it was a notification from his Undernet account, he tapped on it.

 

A video of the girl in question sliding down a stairway banister before crashing at the bottom was shown. She had a look of childish joy on her face, even as she laughed while cradling her elbows.

 

When she realized she was being recorded she stuck out her tongue.

 

"Your just jealous of my graceful reflexes! My amazing landing will leave millions speechless!"

 

He snorted. That was funny. It seemed Papyrus was doing a better job at getting her to open up than he originally thought.

 

Looking at his brother, he saw Papyrus look at his phone, no doubt watching the same video. His cheekbones flushed a bright, vibrant orange as he smiled.

 

One of the human girls,(Melony, right...?) asked if he was alright.

 

Papyrus stammered out he was fine, before turning back to the movie, hiding the lower half of his face in the scarf that their late mother had made for him.

 

Sans already knew that Papyrus had kissed Hazel by accident. He had heard Papyrus muttering about it after it had happened. His brother had little to no volume control unfortunately.

 

Hazel apparently didn't know, so she didn't understand why Papyrus was almost avoiding her. He understood it wasn't her fault, but he still didn't like seeing Pap so worked up...

 

Plus, he still had to burn half of Undyne and Alphys' anime collection for blackmailing him into asking Hazel on a date. 

 

Wait... Only half?

 

Meh, he was growing soft...


	28. Slumber Party part 2

"I brushed against my freckles and I hate it so, but life goes on and I heave a little sigh for you. It's heavy the love that I will share with you, and it dissolved like it was just a sugar cube!~"

Four hours later and nine episodes into the anime, all four women were singing along with the opening theme song. Despite her belting out the lyrics, Undyne surprisingly had a beautiful singing voice. She had a deep, yet lilting voice hidden beneath the usual gruffness...

"Wow Undyne! You have such an amazing voice!" Hazel told her.

"Um... Thanks. I don't really like singing often, since it's girly, but as long as it isn't around a bunch of people, I don't mind."

Hazel paused...

Did Undyne just admit she was nervous about singing in public? The same Undyne who could bench press a pickup truck?

She was the _last_ person Hazel expected of being nervous about anything!

But she wouldn't tell anyone. She kept her friends' secrets.

When the tenth episode went off, Alphys paused the DVD.

"A-as much as I could watch th-this all n-n-night, this is a sleepover. So, l-let's play a g-game. I v-vote truth or dare!"

"Truth or dare? Count me out." Frisk replied.

"Awww, c'mon Frisk! You afraid?" said Undyne.

"No. I just know better. You remember what happened last time we played this game? Mom just about had a fit."

"It wasn't that bad..." Undyne grumbled.

"Not that bad? What did you think putting a metal can of cheese wiz in the microwave would do?"

"... I thought it would turn into nacho cheese in a can..."

"And what did happen?" Frisk pressed.

"It made Toriel's microwave blow up... But I know better this time! Plus, we each get one turn!"

"... Fine. I'll play. But nothing dangerous. And I go first."

"Deal!"

Shaking hands on it, Frisk smirked.

"Truth or dare Undyne?"

"You know the answer! Dare!"

"I dare you to eat the entire contents of a tube of toothpaste."

"That all? Bring it!"

Frisk pulled out a thing of toothpaste from her bag.

"Frisk, were you expecting us to play this game?" Hazel asked.

"Sure did. Here you go Undyne. Hope you like _spear_ mint."

"...You've been hanging out with Sans too much... But whatever." Undyne grabbed the tube and brought it to her mouth, squeezing the life out of it. The first mouthful went down relatively easy. The next was a bit harder...

"Ugh... It's like swallowing flavored glue!" Undyne griped.

"Give up?" Frisk asked.

"Never!" Undyne squeezed it so hard, the toothpaste exploded all over her mouth and chin.

But that didn't stop her. She wiped off the goo on her chin, and crammed it in her mouth.

Hazel tried to keep from imagining the sensation of swallowing toothpaste. She had to admit, she deeply admired Undyne's willpower. She probably would have puked after swallowing the first mouthful...

"Uhk... Done! Don't ever make me do that again..." Undyne gasped.

"Alright. Good job. Your turn."

"Right. Alphys, I dare you to kiss me!" Undyne said to her girlfriend.

"Th-that's not how y-you play!" Alphys said in an embarrased squeak.

"Too bad, so sad! Now pucker up sweet cheeks!"

Undyne pulled Alphys into a deep kiss.

When they seperated, Alphys playfully smacked her girlfriend's arm.

"Next time, p-play the game r-right! And if you want a k-k-kiss so b-badly, y-you don't have to d-d-dare me!"

"C'mon, you know you love it babe!"

Sighing dreamily, Alphys looked at Hazel.

"Hazel. Truth or d-d-dare?"

"Um... Truth?"

"Weak sauce!" Undyne howled.

"Alright. Tell m-me the truth. What is y-y-your ideal first d-d-date?"

Hazel froze.

She never really had thoughts about dating before...

She also had a feeling there was an ulterior motive behind the question. But surely Alphys wouldn't be plotting anything bad. It was just a simple question.

But she really didn't know the answer...

So, she chose to be honest.

"I...don't really know... I'm not really big on dating anyone to be honest. I'm too nervous I wouldn't be what they were expecting. Then, even if I loved them, they would leave me. And...that scares me..."

Wait...did she just say that all out loud?!

"I-I-I mean-! Um...I just..."

She stared hard at the floor. Now she really had done it...

 _'Way to ruin the party Hazel..._ ' she told herself.

Then she felt a pair of arms wrap around her in a tight hug.

Startled, she saw Undyne's pretty red hair in her field of vision, then Frisk and Alphys joining the hug.

"Hey. It'll be okay Hazel..." Undyne said. Her voice was gentle for the first time.

"Yeah. If a person can't love you for all of you, the bad included, then they don't deserve your love in the first place..." Frisk said soothingly.

"You w-will meet someone some d-day who will appreciate you for who you a-a-are as a wh-whole Hazel... Heck, you m-might even know them already!" Alphys said with a smile.

"And until you either find them, or realize the right person, we will be here for you." Undyne added.

Hazel then thought of something...

Maybe...she didn't need to worry so much about her friends leaving...?

Maybe...just maybe...She could be herself without worrying about them hating her?

Or maybe she was being foolish...

Still, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to try opening up a bit? She kept getting the feeling of wanting to trust them. Every monster she had met was instantly kind to her, unlike most humans she knew. And Frisk was by far one of the nicest humans she had ever met. She had yet to sense any part of them to be untrustworthy. In fact, they had worried over her when she was hurt, despite still getting to know her. Even now, they were trying to make her feel better, despite her negative attitude.

Plus, a big part of her wanted Papyrus to be proud of her. That he wasn't wasting his time trying to make her happy, because in all honesty, she couldn't remember the last time she felt so good for so long. She already owed him so much...

She still wasn't ready to share her past, but she had a growing feeling that, maybe, they all would accept her no matter what...

Smiling gently, she hugged them back.

"I'm so glad you guys are my friends..."

"And we are glad you're ours." Frisk said.

"Yeah. Who else is gonna help us throw a Halloween costume party in three weeks?" asked Undyne, letting go of Hazel to sit back on a plush purple pillow.

"R-really?! I love Halloween! I would be honered!"

"Awesome! Now back to the question, what would you like to do on your first date?"

"Huh...Nothing fancy, that's for sure... I think just going on a late night walk or something, and talking to each other would be wonderful... Just us two, having fun, y'know?"

"Aww. That's sounds lovely." Frisk said.

"...You sure? Not too sappy?"

"Never. It just means that you enjoy someone's company more than how much money they spend on you. That's a good trait to have." Undyne said.

Hazel fidgeted with her fingers.

"Wow... Th-thank you..."

"No problem... Now, I believe it's your turn!"

"Heh... Okay, to make this even...Frisk, truth or dare?"

"To also make it even, I say truth."

"Okay! Let me think for a second... Hmmm... Alright. Forgive me for asking this, but have you ever been on a date?"

Frisk chuckled, as Undyne snorted humorously. Even Alphys was giggling.

"Yes, actually... My first date was with Papyrus not long after we first met."

Hazel looked at her roommate in a confused manner. Frisk said she was ten years old when she met the skelebros, didn't she?

"...Well, I say date, but it was more of a play date than anything... We both agreed to keep our relationship platonic though. Besides...I kinda like somebody else. Don't bother asking who though. That's my little secret."

Hazel smiled. She had a feeling she already knew who Frisk was talking about.

"That's okay. I won't pry."

"Maybe Hazel won't, but I will! Tell me the name of this mysterious person you are so enamored with! They better be worthy of you, or I will tear 'em a new one!" Undyne interrogated.

"Nope. Besides, I don't think anything will come of it. He probably sees me as a kid anyways."

"An o-older guy?! Are we g-going to have to h-have S-Sans talk to y-you?"

"He's not-! Jeez! Nothing is going to happen between us anyways, so it doesn't matter!"

Hazel had to distract herself by biting her lip to keep from smirking at the irony of the conversation.

"Well, maybe we should trust Frisk to play it smart. Even if he is older, it doesn't mean he would take advantage of her. Plus, I doubt she would let him if he was that type. Frisk is one of the smartest people I know." Hazel said in her defense.

"...Hmm... Maybe your right, Hazel... But I got my eye on you punk! And don't think I won't tell Sans and Papyrus to do the same!" Undyne threatened.

Frisk stuck her tongue out.

"Watch it! You just lost ten maturity points for that!"

"Mature? Me? Don't say such things!" Frisk teased.

"I forgot... You hang out with Sans too much... Minus two hundred and fifty maturity points!"

"Now who's immature? And only two-fifty?"

"Three hundred!"


	29. Hazardous Pretzels and Sexy Robot Legs

Hazel awoke the morning after the slumber party, feeling a bit tired still, but not enough to fall back asleep. Sitting up on the green suade couch, she snuggled into the gray fluffy blanket one of the others must have put on her when she passed out. She smiled at how thoughtful the gesture was. Especially with the coldness of the house this morning. It was nowhere near this frigid last night...

Keeping the blanket wrapped about her, Hazel stood and walked over to her backpack, keeping quiet as to not wake up Frisk, who lay in the large blue recliner, her snoring barely audible.

Alphys was a different story. Her snoring was as loud as a chainsaw, not that Hazel minded. She was sprawled on the queen sized air mattress she shared with Undyne last night. However, the red head was nowhere to be seen.

Wondering where Undyne was, she walked into the kitchen with the backpack to make her coffee. She had bought some instant coffee beans on the way here yesterday, as well as some cream and sugar. Undyne had said she was welcome to use the kitchen in the morning, so here she was, heating up a mug of water in the microwave, eagerly awaiting her morning time beverage.

Sometimes, she wondered if her grandmother was right in saying she drinks way too much coffee. But, it had become such a habit, it was hard to stop...

Stopping the microwave before it started beeping, so as not to accidentally wake anyone, she made her coffee to her tastes, and sat in the dining room.

Now what?

She sat there, staring into the mug, wondering what to do. At this point, back at the dorm, Papyrus would be back from his morning run and greeting her with a huge smile.

But she wasn't at the dorm. She was at her friends' house, sitting in their dining room, pining for someone to talk to...

Before meeting Papyrus, she would have enjoyed the silence. Now? It bothered her a bit. Too much time to think...

But at least it wouldn't last. She would go back to the dorm today, and get to see her favorite seven foot tall skeleton. Then tomorrow she could talk to him at breakfast as usual.

Taking a sip, she nearly choked when the front door exploded open, kicked down by a startlingly familiar person...

With fabulous legs...

What the hell was Mettaton doing here?!

"Alphys darling!~ I'm here about that favor you asked for!" crooned the robotic monster celebrity.

Oh... That's right... Alphys had built Mettaton...

"M-M-Mettaton! What the h-hell?! I was sleeping!" Alphys angrily stammered.

"Come, come Alphys, dear!~ Early to sleep, early to rise, makes you fabulously gorgeous! Just look at me!" he boasted.

"Early schmearly! It's 7 in the morning! On the weekend!" Frisk grouched from the recliner.

"Frisk darling!~ How lovely to see you! I see your picking up that lazy skeleton's habits however... Oh well, your still enchanting in my opinion."

"Yes, yes... Sure... Can I go back to sleep now?"

Letting out a harrumph, Mettaton then noticed Hazel sitting at the table still. She had been caught like a deer in the headlights ever since the door busted open.

"Why hello beautiful!~ Who might you be?"

Hazel blushed, then tried to reply.

"I'm Huh-Hazel..."

Mettaton briefly looked at Alphys, then turned back to her.

"Surely not the Hazel I have heard so much about? You are more lovely than I imagined!"

"You? M-muh-me? Heard of?"

"Why of course darling!~ Alphys has spoken all about you! How brave you were when you helped out our beloved Papyrus, and of course, how sweet you are!"

Hazel turned redder than a tomato.

"I wasn't being brave... I was just doing what anyone should have done..."

"Oh! You're so modest! You are just too precious!~"

Striding forward in a graceful manner, a true talent in those high heeled boots of his, Mettaton grasped Hazel's hand. The owner of the hand stared at him in surprise.

"You are just like a little princess... You have a loving personality, I can already tell. Your brave when you need to be. Modest, and beautiful, of course. And you even have a charming knight willing to protect you! I am going to start calling you Princess Hazel!"

Hazel just decided to roll with it. She didn't think of herself as a princess at all, in fact, was convinced he was using empty flattery, but she didn't think she could convince Mettaton otherwise...

And who the heck was he referring to as her knight?

Still, there was a faint blush to her cheeks. Even if he didn't mean it, every girl appreciated being called beautiful. Among the many other compliments he threw at her.

"That's very nice of you... Thank you..." Hazel replied with a smile.

"What a charming smile! That knight of yours better be careful. I may just keep you for myself!"

Hazel blushed deeper. Surely he didn't mean that...?

"Mettaton! What the hell are you doing breaking down my front door?! Your letting in a draft!"

Undyne was back. Apparently she had gone on a run, judging from the sweat and sporting gear. She picked up the door and shoved it back in place. That way it wasn't as cold without it. Still, Hazel wasn't removing the blanket any time soon.

Thanking whatever deities above for the distraction, Hazel stood up.

"Excuse me... I think I should clean up this coffee before it stains... Plus, I need to wash up for the day..."

"Feel free to use our shower." offered Undyne.

"Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you Mettaton."

"Likewise, princess.~"

When Hazel disappeared up the stairs after cleaning up the coffee, Mettaton took her seat. Alphys, who had decided that it was best to get up anyways, since Mettaton would keep pestering her until she did, sat across from him, Undyne joining them while grumbling about the door.

Frisk got up as well, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she took the last seat.

"I sincerely apologize about the door, but you do know a star must make an impressive entrance. Now, Alphys, be so kind as to explain this favor you need."

"We were h-hoping you could g-give Papyrus some tips in fashionable d-date clothing. I-if 'Operation: Hazardous Pretzel Ship' is to g-get a successful st-start in the first phase, he needs some help in p-picking out the right c-clothing for the occasion."

"'Hazardous Pretzel'?" Mettaton repeated curiously.

"Yeah. We named the ship for Hazel and Papyrus that 'cause Hazyrus sounds like the word 'Hazardous', and Papzel sounds like 'Pretzel'. Frisk came up with it." Undyne explained.

"Nothing like wordplay when it comes to naming a ship." Frisk mumbled, since her forehead was currently trying to fuse with the surface of the dining room table.

"It's a tad... Unusual. But it does have it's charm." Mettaton thoughtfully replied. "So, we are trying to get the princess and her knight in boney armor on a successful date, and you need me to help the knight know which outfit to impress the lady with..."

"To p-put it in a medieval sense, y-y-yes."

"Marvelous!~ Consider it done!"

"Yeah. Just make sure you put him in modern clothes..." Undyne said irritably.

"Pish posh! Your no fun."

"I got a question. Has Papyrus mentioned when he planned on asking Hazel out?" Frisk asked after setting her chin on the table.

"Well, s-since Hazel can see again, it sh-should be soon." replied Alphys.

"He hasn't said when? How do you know he won't ask today?"

A silence graced the table.

"I best hurry with that outfit then. Good thing I have my wardrobe specialist on speed dial! Until later darlings!~" Mettaton said, rushing out the door, already making the call through his built in cell phone.

"And I better call him, to give him some dating advice! That handbook he uses is a joke!" Undyne stated.

"That's because it was a gift from Sans... You know how he feels about Papyrus dating..." Frisk said with a smirk.

"...That e-explains a lot..." Alphys said thoughtfully before continuing with "And what sh-should we do about Sans? He p-probably already knows about the d-date. You know how h-hard it is to hide stuff from him."

Frisk chuckled.

"I got an idea."

* * *

  
Papyrus was playing a card game with his brother Sans when the door bell rang.

Standing up, Sans put his cards face down.

"I'll get it. I just had my turn anyways."

Shuffling towards the door, he opened it, revealing a woman who looked in her 30's, holding a large package. It was covered by garrish pink wrapping paper.

"A package for a Mr. Papyrus from Mettaton."

Papyrus shot his head up from his cards.

"A PACKAGE FROM METTATON? FOR ME?" Papyrus asked with a mix of confusion and growing excitement.

Standing up, he walked over to the door.

"DID HE SAY WHAT IT WAS?"

"Oh. No sir... He just said it would come in handy for an upcoming event..."

The woman offered the package, which Papyrus accepted.

"THANK YOU. HAVE A PLEASANT DAY."

"You two as well."

Closing the door, Sans gained a skeptical expression. Papyrus excused himself from the card game to go open the package.

"'Upcoming event', huh? Nice try you pompous metal junk heap..." he said to himself.

He liked Hazel, sure. But she wasn't the problem. The problem was that Undyne, Alphys and Mettaton didn't know how to let things go at their own pace.

Looks like it was time to sabotage their plans a tad...


	30. Grabbing the Bull by the Horns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... Thirty chapters?
> 
> I feel so proud of me! This is double the size of my other works on any site!
> 
> Btw, I made my first MMD video. It's a model of Hazel I made. I never knew just how hard it was to make a model... Actually I did, but still!
> 
> I will post a link at the bottom for anyone interested in watching.

With the exception of a somewhat chaotic breakfast, things kind of settled down after Mettaton left. Undyne burnt most of the bacon, setting off the fire alarm, so Alphys took over, saving the remainder of the eggs and toast, plus what was left of the bacon...

After eating, all four washed the dishes, since Hazel offered to do them and Undyne refused, saying it was the hosts' job, but Hazel said she would feel bad not helping at least a bit. So, they compromised. Frisk washed, Alphys dried, and both Hazel and Undyne put them away. Of course, Undyne didn't most of the 'putting away', considering Hazel didn't know where most of the dishes went...

After the final fork was set in its proper place, Alphys spoke up.

"I have an idea... L-let's go do some shopping."

"Sounds fun. But what about Hazel?" Frisk replied.

"Right... You freaked out last time you went in public, huh Hazel?" Undyne asked.

"It isn't being in public in general, I just don't like too many people in one area, especially when they all stare in my direction... But..." Hazel started.

She thought about it.

She couldn't live life avoiding crowds all the time. She'd never be able to do a lot of fun things that way...

Plus, her friends wanted to spend time with her, and they couldn't do it inside the dorm or even their own homes all the time. She needed to learn how to adjust.

For them...

"... I will do it." she finally finished.

"You sure?" Undyne asked.

"Yeah. I got this."

"Absolutely positive?"

Hazel let out a big smile.

"I just need to learn to be more confident is all... I'm grabbing this bull by the horns. Today..." Hazel raised her fist. "...is gonna be a good day, come hell or high water!"

"You go, Hazel!" Undyne grinned, smacking her on the back, which accidentally knocked her over.

"I'm okay!" Hazel muffled out of a mouthful of carpet.

* * *

 

  
Driving to the mall was quicker than Hazel imagined. Her stomach was twisting in knots, but she pushed it down every time she felt the paranoia start to get to her.

Before long, the vehicle, pulled into the parking lot.

Like everyday, it was busy. Especially since it was the weekend. People saw Undyne Alphys, and Frisk the instant, they got out. They stared, and stared. And they stared at her to. Looks ranging from disgust, to fear, to intrigue.

She felt them all.

"Hazel? Are you g-going to be okay?" Alphys asked.

Taking a deep breath, she thought about being like her friends, feeling the stares, but not caring about what they thought. Ignoring the feelings of hatred at being different, and enjoying the company of people that...that cared about you...

Yeah. Her friends cared about her. And she cared enough about them to face her fears.

She could do this.

Turning to the closest shop, she noticed it was a Hot Topic.

"Hey, can we check out this one first? I hear they have anime t-shirts and plushies!" She said enthusiastically.

She could feel their relief. And... She felt a bubble of joy form in her chest that she was doing good so far.

"Sure!" Alphys replied.

Walking inside, they perused the aisles, finding all kinds of neat things. Frisk bought a few things while Alphys and Undyne stocked up on anime merchandise. Hazel didn't have much money, so she decided to hold onto it and maybe get something small later.

"Sans will get a kick out of that book of practical jokes you got him, Frisk." Hazel said.

"He'll probably use most of them on us. No _bones_ about it." Frisk joked.

She giggled in response.

"Don't you two have anything better to do?" Undyne groaned.

Hazel smirked.

"What? Don't you find us _humerus_ , Undyne?"

Even Alphys snorted at that.

"Th-that was funny! It tickled my _funny_ _bone_!" she chimed in.

"...I swear, you are all turning into Sans..." Undyne groaned.

"Don't worry Undyne! We'll stop. And we'll even let you pick the next store as an apology." Frisk said.

"Hmmm... I pick...that one!"

Looking in the direction of her pointing, they saw a random clothing shop.

"...Okay? Your choice..." shrugged Frisk.

Walking over after finishing with their purchases, they noticed Undyne had picked out a very fancy clothing store...

Even Hazel was a bit suspicious... These kind of clothes didn't seem like her thing...

Clearing her throat, Undyne grinned before speaking.

"Alright! Here's the name of the game! We each pick out a part of an outfit for each of us to wear. I pick out the shoes, Alphys picks the shirt, Hazel the jewelry, and Frisk the pants or skirt. Whoever comes out with the nicest outfit has to buy it! And no telling the others what is for who! Got it?"

"Alright. Sounds like fun." Hazel said.

It's wasn't like she looked good in anything anyways. She didn't need to worry about having to pay for an outfit she couldn't afford anyways.

"Alright! On your marks... Go!"

Hazel walked over to the aisle for jewelry. Looking around, she instantly noticed a necklace with a small, electric blue flower charm. She thought it would look nice on Undyne.

She found a pretty steampunk style bracelet with gears on it. It's seemed definitely towards Alphys' tastes.

Now Frisk...

She remembered seeing Frisk wearing a beautiful heart shaped locket one day. It was a beautiful red color, and Hazel noticed a pair of earrings that would match nicely...

Finally, she picked up another necklace for her own outfit. It was a little ornate heart shaped key interwoven with pink and red stones. It looked cute.

She decided that she would buy them for her friends, regardless of who won.

And... She might get the key too. She didn't normally like jewelry, but she felt it wouldn't hurt to have something nice...

At least she could afford these...

Walking over to where they others were waiting by the dressing rooms, they each handed one another their chosen items.

Stepping inside, Hazel put on a knee length pink skirt with black lace, a red turtleneck and white mary janes with a thick, short heel, and a cat on the toes.

Putting on the necklace, Hazel looked in the mirror...

Wow...

Was that really her...?

Hearing a knock, she then heard Frisk.

"Hazel? You ready? We really want to see how you look."

"Y-yeah... Be right out..."

She opened the door, stepping out into their view.

"Hazel! Yo-you look so cute!" Alphys gushed.

"You do too. You all do."

Frisk had on a purple blouse with a sweetheart neckline, dark blue jeans with rhinestones in a floral pattern, black flats, and the earrings Hazel picked out.

Undyne was clad in a long sleeve black shirt that was a little off the shoulders, white slacks and black heels. The flower necklace complimented her blue skin nicely.

Alphys had put on a nice white skirt that reached her shins, a green sweater, black boots with golden buckles, and the bracelet.

"This is going to be hard to decide..." Frisk said.

"Your right..." Alphys agreed. "W-we all look nice, so h-how do we pick...?"

"Ugh. It's a tie... But how about we all chip in? Everyone buys the things they picked out for each of the others and themselves. Deal?" Undyne asked.

"Sounds fair." Frisk said.

"I planned on buying them for you guys anyways. Might as well." Hazel added with a smile.

"Great! Now, let's change back into our own clothes and go get some food!"

* * *

 

Hitting the food court, Hazel decided to get something sweet with her meal. She walked up to a burger-slash-ice cream shop and got a meal and a small hot fudge sundae. All the walking had made her hungry!

Waiting on her order, Hazel realized she couldn't wait to tell Papyrus all that had happened. First, she met the Mettaton, and didn't faint with shock, and now she was having fun with the girls at the mall, which she had never done before! She felt so happy, it was like she could float with all the joy bubbling in her chest.

Noticing her order was ready, she thanked the young man who handed it to her.

"No problem miss... Wait... I think I have seen you before..." he said.

"You have?" Hazel asked.

"Oh... I remember... This is going to sound bad, but I was one of the guys who were with your monster friend when you were hurt..."

Hazel studied him. Brown hair and bright green eyes...

He _was_ there!

"I wanted to say I'm sorry about that... I know it doesn't mean much, but... I really didn't want to hurt your friend... I just was dragged along..."

He sounded sincere...

"... I accept your apology. Still, you should apologize to Papyrus too. He's really a nice guy. I am very happy you were able to realize that you made a mistake. I think that shows you are more mature than your friends."

"Thank you... Their not my friends anymore, but I would still like to tell... Papyrus?... that I am sorry too. Would you mind waiting a second?"

"... Sure."

He rushed off, handing another order out, before coming back.

"Um... Is there a way I could tell him in person?"

"We stay at dorm C. Come visit and I will tell him about you wanting to say sorry."

"Your a lifesaver! Thank you, um..."

"Hazel Griggs."

"Felix Brandt. I will come visit soon. Again, thank you."

"No problem."

Hazel then went to eat before her ice cream melted...

* * *

 

  
When they finally got back to the dorm, it was around five in the afternoon.

Sans greeted them at the door, saying that Papyrus was in his room doing homework.

"He'll be down soon. I bet he will take a break here eventually."

"Good, because Hazel has some really good news to tell him." Frisk said.

"Oh? Like what?" he asked.

Hazel grinned.

"I went to the mall with the girls today. And met Mettaton without freaking out."

"That's really something Hazel. Good job. Your facing your fears head on."

"... I owe it all to you guys. You're the best support group ever."

Picking up her bag, she bid Sans a temporary farewell before moving upstairs to put her things away.

Walking up the first flight of stairs, she heard something as she made to go up the second.

"PSST! HAZEL!"

Looking over, she saw Papyrus standing in the doorway of what she supposed was his room.

"Hey Pap! You won't believe what happened. I went to the mall today. I didn't have a panic attack either! And I met Mettaton as well without overreacting. Isn't that great?"

"... YOU DID? I'M SO PROUD OF YOU HAZEL! WE HAVE TO... UM... ACTUALLY... I WANTED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING..."

"Sure. Lay it on me."

"UM... I... I WAS WONDERING IF... IF YOU MAYBE... MAYBE WANTED T-TO... G-"

"Hey Hazel. You forgot this downstairs." Sans interjected, holding her other bag.

Strange... She thought she had that one already...

"Thanks Sans. I don't know how I forgot that..."

"No problem." he said, standing in place instead of going downstairs.

"So, Papyrus. You were asking me something?"

The taller skeleton looked between her and his brother.

"I... WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU HAD A GOOD TIME..."

"Oh... Definitely! But I sure missed you two." she said, rubbing her eyes.

"And we missed you Hazel." Sans said a tad too cheerfully.

"Thanks. But I will see you guys in a bit. All that walking got me exhausted... So I think a small nap sounds perfect."

"Now your speaking my language." Sans said.

"DON'T SLEEP TOO LONG. IT'S WILL DISTURB YOUR SLEEP PATTERN."

"Somehow, I doubt that." pausing, she covered a large yawn before continuing. "But I will set an alarm for an hour. Later guys."

Waving goodbye, Hazel went to her room, put the bags on her desk, and passed out on top of the covers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/QjjiPZ7I93I
> 
> That's the link. I hope you guys like it.


	31. In Which Things...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, drama, plot progression... Much to see in this new chapter!

Darkness...

That's all Hazel could see surrounding her.

This place seemed...familiar...

" ** _HaZeL_**...?"

Her eyes widening, she suddenly remembered where this was. This was the dark room from her dreams where she met Gaster!

Instantly turning to smile at him, it slowly faded...

"Gaster... What happened to you?!"

The skeletal blob she met before was... Deteriorating...

Half of his face seemed to be sinking like...

Like it was melting...

_**"NoT iMpOrTaNt..."** _

"What do you mean not important?! You're worse than last time!" Hazel shouted.

_**"A sOuL oF COMPASSION aNd DETERMINATION... YoU tRuLy ArE a SpEcIaL hUmAn HaZeL... eVeN tHoUgH tHe DETERMINATION BeLoNgS nOt To YoU..."** _

"...What?" Hazel asked. What was Gaster talking about? Compassion? Determination? And since when could he speak so much better? There seemed to be less static...

Gaster waved one of his hands, and Hazel suddenly felt like her very essence, what made her, her, was being separated from her body.

Slowly, a cartoon like heart hovered right above her chest. It was the size of her two fists together, and was pale pink with a shimmering, transparent red floating around it...

" _ **YoUr SoUl... Or, To Be MoRe PrEcIsE, yOuRs, AnD tHe OnE yOuR hEaRt AcTuAlLy OrIgInAtEs FrOm...** "_

Her heart...?

Hazel was frozen solid...

Slowly, she clutched her shirt, right above the area he was speaking of...

"...How do you know about that...?"

" ** _ApOlOgIeS... My ElDeSt SoN sEeMeD tO iNhErIt A rAtHeR bAd HaBiT oF mInE I aM aFrAiD... We BoTh TeNd To Be... RaThEr NoSeY... UnLiKe HiM hOwEvEr, YoUr MeMoRiEs ArE aN oPeN bOoK tO mE._ "**

"... You went through my memories?!" Hazel shrieked.

 _ **"SoRrY... OlD hAbItS..**_."

"Gaster! Why would you do that?! I trusted you!" she started crying. No one needed to know of her past but her! It was safer that way.

The red on her soul started glowing even brighter, the dark room suddenly seemed to be shaking. But she didn't see it. She was so mad. So scared.

" _ **HAZEL! CALM DOWN! I DIDN'T MEAN TO UPSET YOU!"**_

She felt Gaster's hands grab her shoulders, but they were instantly gone as the soul shoved him backwards.

Hearing his cry of pain, Hazel snapped out of it. He was laid out on the ground like a splatter of black paint.

"Oh my god... What have I done?!"

Rushing over, she knelt next to him.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I forgive you! Please don't die!" Hazel sobbed.

" _ **I wIlL bE oKaY HaZeL... I kInD oF dEsErVeD tHaT... I cAn UnDeRsTaNd WhY yOu ArE aNgRy... YoU hAvE a LoT oF dEmOnS iN tHe ShAdOwS oF yOuR mInD.**_.."

"It doesn't matter... I shouldn't have hurt you... Even unintentionally..."

 _" **It DoEs MaTtEr... ThAt Is WhY I hAvE cHoSeN yOu**._ "

"... Chosen for what?"

 _ **"YoU wIlL sEe SoOn EnOuGh... It Is TiMe YoU rEtUrN...**_ "

"But-! Gaster! Wait!"

A flash of white light and a horrible buzzing sound suddenly filled her senses.

"Dammit Gaster..."

* * *

 

Not much happened the rest of the day. After Hazel woke up from her oh-so-delightful visit with Gaster, she ate some dinner with Frisk and Papyrus, trying to put it out of her mind. Sans would have joined, but he was taking time to grade school papers. Papyrus brought a plate of chicken parmesan over angel hair pasta to him later. After, Frisk went to do her homework. She asked Papyrus if he wanted to play Skip-bo with her, but he declined, saying he needed to reorganize his action figures.

She offered to help, but he said he had left his room a bit of a mess earlier and didn't want her first impression of his room to be anything like when she saw his brother's...

Hazel shuddered at the thought of the smell of all those dirty socks... How many pairs did one guy need anyways?! She simply went to ask him if he wanted to join them for dinner, and she gets bowled over by the stench of sweaty cotton footwear...

How did skeletons even sweat?!

In between her reliving a stinky nightmare, Papyrus slipped off. Shrugging, she decided to play solitaire until bed.

The next morning, she did her usual morning routine, until Papyrus walked in from his morning run.

"Morning Papyrus. I got a surprise for you." Hazel said when he walked in.

"GOOD MORNING HAZEL. A SURPRISE YOU SAY?"

"Sure did!" Standing up, she opened the fridge and pulled out a bag of...

"LEMONS?"

"Indeed. Lemons. Life decided to hand me some, so we are making lemonade!" she said.

"WONDERFUL! I WILL FORGIVE YOUR MISUSE OF A METAPHOR, SEEING AS I AM EXCITED TO LEARN LEMONADE MAKING FROM A MASTER."

"...Heh... Um... I'm not a master at it per se... I just know what my nana taught me when I would sell lemonade on the sidewalk in front of our house in the summer... She got kind of mad when I traded some to one of the neighborhood boys for a bird egg. They were going to smash it, and I was worried that there was a baby bird inside..." Hazel said bashfully, hiding her embarrassment at her childhood antics by getting the sugar.

"OH DEAR... WAS THERE...?"

Setting it down and brushing off her hands for whatever reason, she rested them on her hips before chancing a glance at him.

"... Yeah, actually... It turns out I had saved a crow egg. Nana was peeved."

"WHERE'S THE CROW NOW?"

"At home. Grandpa let me keep him, and he is... quite the trouble maker. He is quite clever at getting into things he shouldn't. Nana named him Vittorio because there is no obstacle he cannot conquer to cause mischief. So, his name means 'Conquerer'."

"WHAT A DELIGHTFUL STORY! I WISH TO SEE IF THIS VITTORIO COULD SOLVE ONE OF MY PUZZLES."

"You make puzzles?"

"INDEED. IT IS A PART OF MONSTER HISTORY. WE BUILT NUMEROUS INTRICATE PUZZLES TO SUBDUE HUMANS UNDERGROUND. I JUST SO HAPPEN TO BE AN EXPERT PUZZLE MAKER AND SOLVER!"

"Is there anything you can't do Papyrus? Honestly, you are too good to be true..."

"NYEH? OF COURSE THERE ARE THINGS I CANNOT DO. EVEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT PERFECT. FOR ONE, I AM UNAWARE OF WHERE TO START WITH THIS LEMONADE MAKING..."

"Well then, let's get started. First, we need to cut the lemons in half."

"HAZEL? WHAT ABOUT THIS OTHER FRUIT?"

"Oh... Those are for the strawberry lemonade next. That requires a blender, so we will do that later when more people are awake."

"THERE ARE STRAWBERRIES IN LEMONADE?"

"Sometimes. Careful with those lemons and the knife. It really-!" Hazel let out a loud hiss of pain, dropping the knife and lemon she was cutting.

"HAZEL? WHAT'S WRONG?"

"Owowowowow! It's... Nothing! Just a... Cut! And lemonade juice! God that _burns_!"

"HAZEL, GIVE ME YOUR HAND."

Shakingly, extending her bleeding hand to Papyrus, he turned her palm over.

"THIS MAY FEEL A BIT STRANGE, BUT BEAR WITH ME..."

"Papyrus... What are... You..."

Her sentence died out, as Papyrus removed one of his gloves, which instantly started to glow a vibrant orange...

He pressed the tips of his phalanges to the cut, which... didn't make her recoil in pain?

No... It was warm and gentle... Like him...

She watched, fascinated as the cut slowly seemed to close. The blood vanished, to where, she didn't know, but the fact was, her cut was gone!

"I... Papyrus... How...?"

He leaned down, pressing his teeth to the spot where the wound had been.

Hazel stood, shocked speechless. Did he just kiss her palm?!

But it didn't stop there, using his free, ungloved hand, he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, which was burning along with her blushing face.

"A KISS TO ENSURE A SAFE RECOVERY." he explained.

Hazel's breath hitched. Her stomach was fluttering, and as he gently released her hand, she curled it to her chest. She could feel her pulse pounding like a drum.

"...Thanks..." she whispered.

Turning back to the lemons, she picked up the knife where it fell and the lemon she had cut. She threw away the lemon, since it had her blood on it, and scrubbed the knife clean. Her brain felt like a huge collection of laundry lint... Fuzzy...

"HAZEL? I FINISHED CUTTING THE LEMONS."

"O-okay. Be right there."

The rest of the lesson was relatively quiet. Hazel would tell Papyrus what to do next, and she would help him with it. Papyrus would smile and nod, occasionally asking a question. She would answer to the best of her ability, and it was back to silence.

When the finished project sat in the fridge to chill, Hazel excused herself.

As she made to cross the kitchen's threshold, Papyrus called her name.

"HAZEL? I WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING. MAY I?"

Hazel turned around.

"You can always ask me anything Pap. What is it?"

"...WOULD YOU CARE TO JOIN ME ON AN OUTING THIS AFTERNOON?"

An outing...? With him?

"Is anyone else coming?"

"NO. JUST ME AND YOU. I WANTED TO SPEND SOME TIME OUT, BUT I DON'T WISH TO BE BY MYSELF, SO I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULD ACCOMPANY ME?"

The thought of her and Papyrus alone outside of the dorm made her heart race again. Why? He just wanted to go out, and was being nice enough to invite her. It wasn't like he was asking her on a date or anything...

"That sounds fun. I'd love to." she said through a nervous smile.

"GREAT! DRESS WARMLY! I WILL PICK YOU UP AT TWO."

When he talked like that, it sure sounded like a date.

Waving, she went upstairs, rushing past a half-asleep Sans.

"MorningSans! Gottagobye!" she jumbled out as she took the steps two at a time.

* * *

 

Hazel stood in front of the bathroom mirror, mentally debating with her reflection.

_'It's not a date! Quit acting like it is!'_

_'Why did he act so romantic when he healed my cut? Maybe he likes me...'_

_'That's not it! He was just being his usual sweetheart self! He does NOT like me like that! That would ruin our friendship! Even sooner than what it would, anyways!'_

_'Maybe he won't care about my past? Maybe he will accept who I really am? If I just tell him the truth...'_

_'...'_

Hazel lowered her head...

"...No. I can't tell anyone that... Especially not him... I... I don't think I could bear it..."

Sighing, she straightened up and opened the bathroom door.

Only to jump out of her skin as Frisk popped out of nowhere.

"GAH! Frisk! Holy biscuits! Don't do that!"

"I suggest you wear your new outfit today." spoke the twenty year old monster ambassador.

...

"Huh?"

"Your new outfit. Wear it. Papyrus would love it." she repeated.

"...How did you know about that?"

"Papyrus said he was going on an outing with you earlier."

Oh... Well.

"What makes you think I should wear it today?"

"I just think that the turtleneck looked warm enough for the chilly weather today, and I have some nice, thick thigh-high socks that you could borrow for keeping your legs warm in a skirt. You should dress sensibly, and you only have so many sweaters. Plus, it looked so cute on you at the store."

"... Okay. Fine."

"Don't forget the cute necklace you picked out either. It suits you."

"I won't."

"I have some eye shad-"

"I draw the line at make up."

Frisk giggled.

"At least some lip gloss? It will keep your lips from getting chapped. Don't want any sores now, do we?"

Sighing, Hazel let out a "Okay..."

An hour and a half later, taking a shower, Hazel prepared for the outing, listening to Frisk (nicely) order her around.

She didn't really understand what all the fuss was about. It was just her and Papyrus. Out and about. Alone.

Oh god...

She still couldn't get his earlier behavior out of her head. He had been acting like he didn't want to touch her before the sleepover, now, he was pulling a stunt like that?

He was really starting to make her question what was wrong with her. She kept getting strange feelings around him, missed him when he wasn't around, never minded his touch, loved the memory of when she touched him when she had awoken in the hospital...

And he was just so amazing to her... He was the most beautiful person, for his kindness, his bravery, his willingness to overlook someone's flaws and see the good in them...

How could she not love him?

... Love...?

Damn it...

She just had to go and do something stupid like fall in love with Papyrus...

She turned on the cold water.

Maybe that will make her wake up from her delusional thoughts of wanting to be with him.

Standing under the water, she didn't move until she sobered up. It felt like rain. Good.

Maybe memories of the rainy day that ruined her life would bring her back to her senses... Would remind her why love was beyond her reach...

But even though her teeth were chattering, the warmth in her chest didn't subside...

* * *

 

The rest of the preparations, Hazel was stone faced.

"Hazel, is something wrong?"

Frisk looked at her, worry in her warm, brown eyes...

"I'm fine..."

"No you're not. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I can play this game all day. What. Is. Wrong?" Frisk crossed her arms over the fuzzy purple house coat that she had on for whatever reason... She meant business.

"... The heart always wants what it can never have..."

"...What?"

"..."

"...Hazel?"

"...I'll be fine... I just... Need to wake up a bit is all. Please... I don't want to talk about it..."

"... If it will help... You can always talk to us Hazel. But we won't force you too..."

"I know... You guys mean so much to me... I'm sorry for being moody..."

"We all are entitled to a little mood swing at times. We got your back Hazel."

"Thanks... What time is it?"

"1:57?"

Standing up, Hazel walked over to the door.

"Better get moving. See you later."

"Bye."

Descending the steps, the kitty mary janes clunked slightly on the wood.

Reaching the main floor, she leaned against the rail to wait.

She heard footsteps going up the stairs, then going down.

Turning her head slightly to look, she saw Papyrus.

He looked so handsome in that orange button up. She'd never seen him in regular jeans before either... But where was his scarf?

A flutter of red about his hips caught her attention.

She smiled. He was wearing it around his waist...

He didn't have his gloves on though...

He caught sight of her as she moved, pausing in midstep.

"HAZEL... YOU LOOK..."

"Warmly dressed?" she supplied.

"VERY PRETTY..."

"... Thank you." Hazel whispered, looking at the ground.

Clearing his nonexistent throat, he continued.

"ARE YOU READY TO GO?"

"All set."

"...UM... LET'S BE ON OUR WAY, SHALL WE?"

He offered his arm.

"An escort? I seem to be in the company of quite the gentleman." she said, looping her hands around his arm.

This was just for fun, she told herself. It wasn't a date. She was going to be okay.

It wouldn't hurt to have fun with her best friend. No matter how she felt about him, as long as he didn't return her feelings, it would be alright.

...Right?


	32. ... Are not Always What they Seem

Papyrus sat in the driver's side of his car, nervously trying to think about how to go about this...

Hazel was fidgeting in the passenger seat as he was driving. She looked lovely in that new outfit. Red definitely made her honey-gold eyes stand out...

He just hoped he could successfully trick Undyne and Alphys into thinking that this was a date between him and the shy girl next to him. He really didn't want to be doing this at all. At least, not yet.

He really admired Hazel, especially how hard she was trying to get better. He knew it was for him and everyone else. And even though he wished she would want to do it for herself as well, he had hope that she would realize how important it was for her to want to improve for her own sake.

But he couldn't be any more proud of her. She had successfully faced her fear of crowds, and was working to gain back her confidence. So she had proved she was willing to fight no matter the obstacle. Whether it was her fear of crowded areas, or even staying calm in the eye of social anxiety. He heard she hardly even stuttered facing a famous celebrity like Mettaton! She was improving so much, so fast, and he was so happy to see her be proud of her own accomplishments.

Still, he wasn't sure of his true feelings for her, and he needed time to figure those out. Hopefully, she wouldn't be disappointed if he didn't kiss her at the end of this 'date'. Then again, he had carefully worded his intentions to make it seem as a simple outing between friends. So she shouldn't be expecting him to kiss her... However, it needed to be romantic without being too romantic! But a kiss still seemed a bit much. Even if he really wanted to...

He tried to push that thought away quickly.

He could do this! And he had Sans and Frisk to help out if he accidentally wowed Hazel too much with his charming personality.

Frisk had been the one to suggest the false date when he had panicked about asking Hazel out. She was acting as a double agent, pretending to be a distraction for Sans to secretly follow them and take seemingly romantic pictures to appease Alphys and Undyne. Sans was just there to help out and play his role as his overprotective brother. If Hazel spotted them, they would be under the disguise of going on a friendly date and they just so happened to pick the same spot as them. The last part was suggested by Papyrus himself. He pretended not to notice his brother's blush in reaction.

Papyrus knew his brother too well not to notice the look of love in Sans' eye sockets when they locked on Frisk. Why he never spoke up was beyond him, but he was just happy his brother was in love. He hoped they would end up together. After all, he did promise Frisk he would help her find the best boyfriend after him. Sans may be lazy, but Frisk never minded that, or his horrible jokes and puns. So who better than his brother to be ' _the one_ ' for Frisk, especially when he really cared about her?

But back to the current situation!

Undyne made sure to 'enlighten' him on _real dating hints_ , as she put it. And one of the most important was to keep a steady, comfortable conversation going.

Here goes nothing...

"...SAY, HAZEL? YOU SAID THAT THERE WERE OTHER THINGS YOU COULD PUT IN LEMONADE TO MAKE THE TASTE MORE APPEALING, CORRECT? WHICH INGREDIENTS DO YOU LIKE BEST?" he asked. If there was one way to keep a conversation going, cooking seemed like a good option. He loved learning new recipes, and Hazel seemed to know some interesting ones.

"My favorite kind of lemonade? I like this one kind I make sometimes with peaches in it... Oh! And this one time, I mixed in some pomegranates too! It was so good!"

"WE WILL HAVE TO TRY THAT NEXT TIME!"

"Don't forget, you still have to teach me how to make your special spaghetti. I look forward to learning from the master spagettore."

"I CERTAINLY DO! HOW ABOUT NEXT WEEK?"

"Deal. So, where are we going on this outing?" she asked with a small smile.

"FIRST, WE ARE GOING TO VISIT A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE. AFTERWARDS IS A SURPRISE."

"Surprises, surprises, oh what is in store? You have my curiosity rising even more." Hazel said, busting into rhyme.

"HOW DO YOU DO THAT SO EASILY?"

"Rhyme? I don't really know... It just... Flows out, I guess? My grandpa always said I had a way with words, and I love writing poetry, so I chose writing children's books for a future career. Most of them are written in rhyme, so I just figured I needed a little training in drawing my pictures for my books, and to improve in whatever ways I can. I just need to get one book finished and the librarian, Mr. Kirk, said he knew some people who would look at my work. Problem is, I sometimes procrastinate... Still, I look forward to one day reading my books to children in random get-togethers, and see them get lost in the stories I paint both literally and in words..."

"I BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT. I HOPE TO ENJOY HEARING YOU READ THOSE STORIES TO THE CHILDREN. I CAN TELL FROM YOUR PINEAPPLE PRINCESS STORY THAT YOU WILL WRITE AMAZING STORIES SOME DAY..."

"I will make sure to invite you to every reading then. And to send you the first copy of each of my books I write."

Papyrus felt a faint blush stain his cheekbones.

"YOU DON'T NEED TO SEND ME THE VERY FIRST COPY. I WOULD BE HAPPY JUST TO SEE YOU READ. YOUR VOICE IS PERFECT FOR READING. YOU PUT YOURSELF INTO IT, GIVING THE STORY LIFE. YOU'RE LIKE SANS WHEN HE USED TO READ TO ME BEFORE BED, YOU JUST MAKE HEARING THE STORIES LIKE THEY HAD ACTUALLY HAPPENED..."

"...Thank you Papyrus..." Hazel stammered in reply. He noticed the redness of her face, knowing she was probably not used to such compliments...

Papyrus simply smiled in response as he parked the car. He honestly didn't know what to say. When she blushed like that, with her small, crooked smile, he felt his soul start humming even harder...

Noticing the closest buildings, Hazel felt her smile widen.

She went to open the car door, but Papyrus already beat her to it and offered his hand.

"Thank you."

Taking his hand, she followed him into the Spider Bakery.

"Huhuhu~! Welcome dearies!" came the titillating voice of Muffet.

The shop had hardly any furniture the first time Hazel stopped by. Now, finely crafted metal tables and chairs, as well as some purple cushioned booths graced the store. A display case showed a plethora of delicious looking pastries and desserts in various flavors. The spider webs from before still hung on delicate silken strands as the many spiders scuttled about the endless threads.

"I love what you have done with the place Muffet!" Hazel gushed.

"Why thank you Hazel. I'm glad to see you are alright after that incident with those ruffians. I have been looking forward to your next visit so I could tell you about how when you bought some of my goods, a few other humans had seen you and tried them. Now, business is doing swimmingly! But now I see you are with my old friend Papyrus. Are you two on a date?"

"NO. WE ARE JUST FRIENDS. WE DECIDED TO STOP BY TO SEE IF YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO SELL US SOME OF YOUR DELIGHTFUL SPIDER DONUTS."

"But of course! Anything for an old friend and my favorite patron. A shame you aren't dating. You two look so adorable together..."

Hazel noticed the blush Papyrus had matched her own.

"UHH... HOW IS SWEET LITTLE TUFFET DOING? I HAVEN'T SEEN HER SINCE SHE WAS STILL A BABY..."

"Still sweet, not so little. She is snoozing in the back. A few humans have been rude enough to try and vandalize our shop, but they didn't realize how playful Tuffet is. Huhuhu~"

"Oh dear... Is everyone alright? Nothing was stolen, right?" Hazel asked, worry in her voice.

"Just a busted window. No one was injured. Those humans might want to think twice, however, the next time they try to mess with us spiders."

"WELL, AT LEAST NOT ONE WAS HURT." Papyrus said with his usual grin. Setting down some gold on the counter for the spider donuts, he continued. "WOULD YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE ANY SPIDER CIDER MADE? I WANTED HAZEL TO TRY SOME."

"Cider? I've never had cider before... What's it like?" she asked.

"Never had cider? Goodness dearie! We must fix that right away!" Muffet then pulled out a jug and a small purple tea cup. It appeared someone had a severe fondness for purple...

Handing over the tea cup to Hazel, Muffet smiled, revealing delicate, yet sharp fangs.

"On the house."

Hazel smiled back in gratitude, carefully grasping the cup and extending her pinkie. It seemed the proper thing to do...

Feeling the warmth in her hands from the cup, she cautiously sipped, instantly taking delight in the sweet, yet slightly tart flavor, cinnamon and various other tastes blending on her tongue.

And she felt the same sensation like she did with the hot chocolate Papyrus gave her weeks ago. Joy and an aura of peace filled her entire being.

"Amazing..." Hazel whispered.

"You flatter me. I'm glad to see you are enjoying your first taste of spider cider." Muffet said with a small grin.

"Enjoying? I'm enthralled! I swear, every time I try monster food, it's always yummy!" Hazel said excitedly.

"WELL, NOT ALWAYS. EVEN MY FANTASTIC SPAGHETTI HAS NOT ALWAYS TURNED OUT CORRECTLY. IN FACT, I USED TO BE A BIT... BLIND TO MY CULINARY MISHAPS, YOU MIGHT SAY." Papyrus stated, running his hand over the back of his skull.

"There's nothing wrong with being a little bad at something at first. The fact is, you kept trying. And now? You have the best spaghetti I have ever tasted!" Hazel said reassuringly.

"She has a point Papyrus, dear... Your persistence definitely paid off." Muffet agreed.

"THANK YOU. WHEN I OPEN MY FIRST RESTAURANT, I WILL BE SURE TO GIVE YOU BOTH COMPLIMENTARY SPAGHETTI ON THE HOUSE WHENEVER YOU VISIT. MADE BY YOURS TRULY."

"You are a real sweetheart Papyrus dear. You would give my donuts a run for their money if you were a pastry."

"... Huh...That actually sounds kinda neat..." Hazel murmured.

"What does?"

"A pastry themed after Papyrus. Like a cinnamon carrot cake with little bones made out of cream cheese icing or something. I don't know. Just sounds cool in my opinion..."

"That actually sounds like fun!" Muffet declared.

"A PASTRY THEMED AFTER ME? I SUPPOSE I AM AMAZING ENOUGH, BUT WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE?"

"Yes! We could invite our friends and design a desert based on them! It could be a special bake sale!" Muffet said excitedly.

"I BET THAT WOULD BE QUITE THE VENTURE! IF YOU EVER NEEDED AN EXTRA SET OF HANDS, SHOULD YOU TRY IT, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO OFFER MY ASSISTANCE!"

"Me too." Hazel added.

"I will have to see when would be a good time. I will make sure to let you two know when I decide to try it."

"WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT. BUT FOR NOW, WE SHOULD BE ON OUR WAY. IT WAS A PLEASURE SEEING YOU AGAIN MUFFET."

"Yeah. Take care of yourself."

"But of course! Until later, my dears."

Taking the box of donuts and a jug of cider, they got back into Papyrus' convertible.

"OH! BEFORE I FORGET, I NEED TO BLINDFOLD YOU."

"You're taking this whole surprise thing quite seriously, huh? Okay. I trust you."

Papyrus unraveled his scarf from around his waist and proceeded to tie it around Hazel's eyes after she removed her glasses, setting them on the neckline of her sweater for later.

She heard the engine purr as he started the car, and felt the breeze as they started moving again.

So far, she was enjoying herself. She was starting to get a bit hungry however. She was glad Papyrus had bought some of the donuts Muffet made. The cider from earlier was amazing, and she couldn't wait to try some more.

Focusing on the sensation of the scarf's long ends tickling her neck as they flew behind her, she smiled.

So far, things were going well. For all intents and purposes, this seemed like just an outing between friends. So it wasn't a date, much to her relief. Despite the feelings of disappointment she was trying her hardest to bury...

After awhile, the car slowed to a final stop. She stayed still, waiting for instructions as Papyrus shut off the ignition.

She heard him open his door and shut it behind him...

Was he leaving her in the car...?

But then she felt two thin arms pick her up in a bridal position out of nowhere!

"Papyrus?! _Please_ tell me that's you!" Hazel said, slightly panicked.

"OH... MY APOLOGIES. I FORGOT TO TELL YOU. TO CONTINUE THE SURPRISE, I NEED TO CARRY YOU. I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND...?"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Hazel relaxed.

"Um... Sure? If it's just for the surprise, I don't mind..."

This reminded her of the time she was clinging to him the last time he held her like this... She was feeling her cheeks fire up at the thought...

As he carried her towards the surprise, she noticed the smell of grass and a few voices she didn't recognize.

To say Hazel was curious as to where they were would be an understatement.

Finally, Papyrus stopped, setting her down on a soft surface.

"Can I remove the blind fold now?" she asked.

"HOLD ON A SECOND... OKAY... NOW."

Removing his scarf, she kept her eyes closed until she had her glasses back on. Finally opening them, she looked around, lips tugging into a smile...

Papyrus had set up a picnic in the park. It was beautiful, the trees in various shades of fall colors... There were a few families, children who paused their playing to look at the two of them. Thankfully, there wasn't many people, and no one seemed to really mind them, despite the curiosity of the children.

"This is so nice... This spot is just perfect for a picnic. It's got cover from the cold wind, and the perfect view of the trees... I can't thank you enough for asking me to join you Pap..."

"IT WAS NOTHING. I REMEMBER YOU SAYING HOW FALL IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON, SINCE ALL THE TREES CHANGE COLORS... I FOUND THIS SPOT ON ONE OF MY MORNING JOGS, AND THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY IT..."

"Well, you were right. But to be honest, I love winter just as much. I just don't like Summer since I'm from the south were it is humid and nasty in the Summer. Spring is tolerable, just very rainy. But Fall often has perfect weather, and pretty scenery. Winter, we don't get snow, unfortunately. But I saw some last year while I've been here. I never realized how much I liked snow until then."

"YOU WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE ENJOYED SNOWDIN, THEN. THE SNOW WAS COLD, BUT STILL WAS PLEASANT."

"...Every time you talk about the underground, I just want to go and see it for myself. It just sounds so enchanting every time you talk about it..."

"...WOULD YOU LIKE TO?"

"...Huh?"

Papyrus handed her a chicken parmesan sandwich before continuing.

"I WAS ACTUALLY THINKING... MAYBE IF YOU WANTED... YOU COULD COME WITH US TO SEE EBOTT CITY FOR THE HOLIDAYS?"

"... That sounds _wonderful_. I would need to visit my family for Thanksgiving, but I could probably come see it around Christmas." she said before taking a bite.

"YOU WILL LOVE IT! EBOTT CITY IS AT ITS' BEST AROUND CHRISTMAS! I CAN'T WAIT TO SHOW YOU AROUND IT!"

"... You know, if you wanted to, you guys could probably come visit my family for Thanksgiving... I would have to ask Nana and Grandpa, but I am very sure they wouldn't mind. Unless you have other plans..."

"I WILL HAVE TO SEE WITH EVERYONE ELSE, BUT I WOULD REALLY ENJOY THAT. YOUR GRANDMOTHER WAS VERY NICE WHEN WE MET BEFORE. I WOULD LOVE TO MEET THE REST OF YOUR FAMILY."

"I will warn you, watch out for Vittorio... I mean it when I say he's a troublemaker. He won't hurt anybody, but he can make a pest of himself sometimes. I remember one time, my cousin Abby brought her violin..."

* * *

 

Not too far away, but out of eyesight, Sans and Frisk were eavesdropping. Well, more like Frisk was eavesdropping, and Sans was only three-quarters paying attention. The rest was focused on the girl beside him. She was dressed up in those new clothes she bought when shopping with Undyne and Alphys for Hazel's date outfit.

"Hey kiddo... Any reason why your so dressed up? All we are doing is watching Hazel and Pap on their fake date..."

Looking up from her phone with a photo of Papyrus carrying Hazel like a princess, which she was sending to Alphys with a long text with a half true progress report, she grinned.

"Well, we are _supposed_ to act like we are on a date if we're spotted. Might as well look the part, _darling_..."

A large patch of blue covered his face. She really shouldn't tease him like that. Especially since she didn't like him like that!

Two can play at _that_ game...

"Why Frisk my love, you would look absolutely beautiful no matter what you wear. No _fibula,_ sweetheart..."

Now Frisk felt a blush tint her cheeks...

So that's how it was, huh?

Leaning close to him, she felt him tense.

"Touché, you are quite the charmer, my bonny bonehead."

"No need to get _Frisky_ , we are in public after all."

She started shaking from holding back her laughter.

"You are just so cheesy."

"I'm sure I can do _cheddar_."

She couldn't fight back her giggles any more.

"You are so bad! You just have to make me smile so hard my cheeks hurt. That's why I love..." Frisk paused.

"Love what?"

"...Y-your sense of humor! Yeah! I see no _Parm_ esan in kidding around with my best _Muenster_ buddy!"

She giggled nervously, Sans staring at her. He leaned in a bit closer...

"Frisk? I..."

"HEADS UP!"

Just then, a frisbee came flying out of nowhere, and smacked into the back of Sans' head, pushing him forward until his teeth collided with Frisk's lips.

The kids who threw the frisbee, stood frozen. They didn't mean to disturb a couple in a romantic moment! Turning, they both ran, forgetting all about the frisbee while apologizing.

Sans pulled away, his entire face glowing blue. Frisk was in a daze.

"Th-that... Never happened!" Sans sputtered out.

Frisk nodded, trying not to feel hurt when he said that. She went back to her phone, trying to keep herself from pulling him into another kiss to convince him of how much she enjoyed it. That would be asking for a bad time...

Sans, meanwhile, was trying to keep watch over his brother and Hazel. He was cursing himself for a fool for almost confessing his feelings to Frisk. She already was trying to ignore him so it was obvious she didn't feel the same! Could this day get any worse?

To prove a point, that yes, it can, ice cold rain started pouring down.

"Just great..."


	33. No Brains for Zombie Hazel...

Trying to help Papyrus quickly gather the picnic back into the basket, Hazel shuddered. The trees close by thankfully shielded most of the rain, but it still was cold as it dripped down.

"HAZEL. I AM GOING TO GRAB THE UMBRELLA FROM MY CAR. STAY IN THAT GAZEBO UNTIL I GET BACK."

Nodding, Hazel picked up the basket and dashed over to the wooden structure, standing with another person.

Papyrus was back within less than a minute, carrying a large purple umbrella.

Hazel looked at the other person standing and waiting. A young mother with a wailing infant. The poor baby was soaked, despite their mother trying to cover them.

Papyrus followed her gaze.

Hazel smiled.

"Um... Miss?"

The woman looked over from her baby.

"Um... If you want, me and my friend can walk you to your car?"

The woman looked over at Papyrus. She seemed a bit wary.

But she looked at her child, then at Hazel. Sighing, she walked over.

"Thank you both... I apologize if I seem a bit overly cautious. I've... Um... Never seen a monster around here before..."

"THAT'S ALRIGHT..." Papyrus said, trying to be quiet as possible.

"Papyrus here is a big sweetheart. He wouldn't hurt a fly. Still, we best get your little one out of this wind..."

"Thank you both so much." she replied.

Leading the woman over to her car, she put the baby in his seat and buckled him in.

"Um... I would like to give you this as a thank you for your kindness." the woman said, handing over a booklet.

"These are some coupons to a restaurant I work at. Since your date was ruined by the rain, you can have these for the make up date. I hope you like Italian."

"Um... We aren't dating... But thank you. I hope you make it home safely."

"INDEED. DRIVE CAREFULLY."

"I will. Bye!"

Hazel watched the woman drive away, hoping her baby wouldn't get sick from the rain.

Papyrus placed a hand on her shoulder.

"YOU ARE TRULY VERY COMPASSIONATE, HAZEL."

"Me? No. I just couldn't stand it if her baby got sick because she had to wait out the rain." they both started walking back to his car as she continued. "You're the compassionate one Pap. You help people even when most wouldn't..."

"ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU JUST DID?"

"...I suppose..."

He smiled, knowing he won.

"Yeah, yeah. Rub it in." Hazel said jokingly.

Reaching their destination, Hazel got in, thanking him for holding the umbrella for her as she did. He already had pulled the hood of the car up earlier, so it wasn't too wet inside...

When he managed to get in, he turned to her.

"SEEING AS THE PICNIC WAS RUINED, WOULD YOU CARE TO GO BACK TO THE DORM AND WATCH A MOVIE?"

"That sounds nice actually. But I am quite sure the dorm TV is taken."

"I CAN PUT A MOVIE ON MY COMPUTER AND WE COULD WATCH IT IN MY ROOM..." Papyrus said.

"That would be awesome! I have a movie I bought a while ago that I've been meaning to watch actually..."

"WHAT'S IT CALLED?"

"'The Boy and The Beast'... I hear it's supposed to be pretty good, and I love the other movies made by the same company. I think they may be the next Studio Ghibli."

"I'VE WATCHED THOSE MOVIES WITH UNDYNE AND ALPHYS BEFORE! MY FAVORITES ARE 'HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE' AND 'SPIRITED AWAY'."

"I loved those too! But I just couldn't sit through 'Graveyard of the Fireflies'... It was too sad... I tried watching it once, and I couldn't even get halfway through..."

"I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT ONE... UNDYNE SAID I WOULDN'T LIKE IT, SO I DIDN'T WATCH IT."

"I think just the first half scarred me for life... She was probably trying to protect you is all."

"...IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE DO THAT. ESPECIALLY MY BROTHER..."

Noticing his somber tone, Hazel looked at him.

"I know you think that they're being unfair, and you are right, but they do it because they care. Maybe they go about it the wrong way, but it's because they don't want you to lose your happy outlook on life. That makes you special Pap... You have a good soul, and they don't want you to lose that... But they also need to give you the benefit of the doubt sometimes... Have you tried talking to Sans and the others about it?"

"... NOT REALLY. I SHOULD THOUGH."

"... If you need me to, I got your back. But I am telling you, you really don't want to watch 'Graveyard of the Fireflies'... It's just really depressing..."

"I WILL TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT... WE SHOULD BE BACK SHORTLY. COULD YOU TEXT SANS AND LET HIM KNOW?"

"Sure."

* * *

Sans sat on the couch, pretending to be snoozing. A few students were doing random activities around him, while the rest avoided him by hiding in their rooms.

Like Frisk...

He felt like he really messed up... She must hate his guts so much right now... Even if he didn't have any!

When he brought them back as soon as it started raining via shortcut, she instantly hid inside her and Hazel's room...

He felt even worse because after, he went to check on her, he heard her sobbing...

He really felt like a lowlife... Even if it wasn't his fault.

Damned frisbee...

Damned accidental kiss...

Damned emotions...

He felt his phone buzz as a text came through.

Cracking open an eye socket, he swiped his custom screen that was attuned to his magic.

Ah. The glories of technology...

_Hazel: Heya Sans. Just letting you know we are on our way back. Not to be **pouring** my heart out to you, but we kinda got rained on..._

Sans smiled a bit. At least Pap liked a girl with a sense of humor...

Sans would have texted back, but he had an alert from one of his Gaster Blasters that he had patrol the grounds that his brother was already within seven hundred and twenty six yards of the house.

Sure enough, not five minutes later, both of them came striding in, dripping wet...

"Geez... You weren't kidding about it pouring Hazel. You two looked like a pair of drowning victims back from your watery graves..."

Papyrus looked unamused, but Hazel started lurching forward, arms extended.

"Need... Braiiiiins..."

Sauntering up to Sans, she looked back and forth.

"Nope. No brains here..."

Sans started laughing, as did Papyrus. Even the other occupants in the room chuckled.

Hazel looked quite proud of herself.

Clearing his throat, Papyrus tried speaking through his laughter.

"WE... GOT... SPLASHED BY A... HEH HEH!... P-PASSING DRIVER."

"Yeah. They sped up and everything. Jerks." Hazel added.

Shuddering, she then let out a loud "Brrrr! It is chilly in here! I'm going to go change before the movie. See you in a few Pap."

"SURE THING HAZEL."

"Movie?" Sans inquired as she disappeared upstairs, mary janes clacking on the wood yet again.

"YES. HAZEL AND I ARE WATCHING A MOVIE ON MY COMPUTER. SHE CALLED IT 'THE BOY AND THE BEAST' I THINK?"

Sans knew what that meant. Hazel and Papyrus would be in his room. He knew they wouldn't do anything they shouldn't, but it was still against the rules...

"How about you move it in here? I know you want to spend time with your friend Hazel, but girls and boys aren't allowed to be in each other's rooms... Not my rules, since I trust you two, but still, it's not fair to the others."

* * *

Papyrus blushed.

His brother was right!

He completely forgot about that rule! What would others think if he had a girl in his room by themselves?!

"YOU'RE RIGHT SANS! I COMPLETELY FORGOT! I'M SURE HAZEL WON'T MIND. AS LONG AS NO ONE IS USING THE TELEVISION RIGHT NOW..."

Sans made a gesture to the black screen on the TV.

"Looks pretty free to me bro."

Nodding in gratitude, Papyrus then went to his room to change. He really looked forward to this movie.


	34. I'm not okay (I promise)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating sooner. Life has been rough recently... Hope you guys still like the new chapter! :'3

Frisk knew she shouldn't feel this way, but she was miserable.

 

... Because Sans had kissed her, and acted like it should never have happened.

 

It shouldn't hurt this bad... She should have realized by now that Sans just didn't see her that way. But no, she just  _ had _ to let some stupid accidental kiss get her worked up!

 

She was laying on her bed, facing the wall. Hoping that staring into blank space would make her mind just as empty.

 

But just when she thought she had succeeded, Sans' handsome, stupid, sassy, sweet mouth filled her mind yet again... 

 

Why couldn't she just let him go?

 

Hearing the door open, she closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

 

"Frisk..?" she heard a faint whisper. Hazel no doubt.

 

She felt bad for ignoring her, but she really wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone right now.

 

She felt a blanket being placed on her. 

 

"Shouldn't sleep without a blanket in this weather silly... You can borrow my comforter." she heard her mutter.

 

Now she really felt bad...

 

But before she could think to pretend waking up, Hazel already walked into the bathroom.

 

Frisk briefly wondered if she still should try, but decided against it. She was too tired both physically and mentally to come up with an excuse for her sudden depression.

 

A nap didn't actually sound too bad...

* * *

 

Hazel changed into some black fuzzy pajama pants and an old long sleeve shirt from one of her favorite bands, My Chemical Romance...

 

Not her usual style, but she loved these clothes anyways.

 

Adding some fuzzy black and white striped socks, she felt warmed up and ready to watch that movie!

 

Stepping out quietly as not to wake Frisk, she dug out her DVD from her desk, and made her way to the stairwell, shutting off the room light, and closing the door behind her.

 

Sans was already waiting for her at the bottom.

 

"Hey. Frisk is asleep... Is... She okay? Nothing happened while we were out, right?"

 

"...Nothing really. What makes you think there's something wrong with her?" he asked. He was doing an awfully good job at avoiding her eyes.

 

"Just a feeling... Or more like a sense that she is upset... I could be wrong of course..."

 

Hazel didn't want to say she could see something was off with him as well.

 

"...We moved the movie to the living room. You probably forgot girls and boys aren't allowed in each other's rooms. So Papyrus is getting some snacks ready. A few others mentioned they were interested in watching a movie too. 'Course, they're expecting a Mettaton film seeing as Papyrus watched some while you were away..."

 

"Oh. Thanks for the heads up. I hope they won't be too disappointed with the lack of flamboyant robots with perfect legs..."

 

"Trust me, I  _ won _ ' _ t _ be crying a river of tears over the fact that bucket of bolts won't show up in a marathon of glitter and rose petals... Give me a horror film any day compared to that..."

 

"Not all his films are that bad. Still, I do love a good horror film. Nothing stupid or predictable, or just senseless gore though..."

 

"I hear you. Still, it's sometimes interesting to watch people act overly stupid in certain situations.”

 

"Sometimes. Still, I better get the movie prepped. You plan on joining us?"

 

“... Might as well.” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

 

“Awesome! See you downstairs.”

 

Hazel went downstairs into the living room, not noticing Sans look remorseful in the direction of the room she shared with Frisk.

* * *

 

Papyrus was thoroughly enjoying this movie Hazel had brought down. There was lots of amazing fight scenes, touching moments, and wonderful storytelling in the film!

 

He could see why Hazel was a growing fan of this film company if all their movies were this good!

 

Speaking of which, the small brunette sat on the other side of Sans, who was holding the popcorn bowl. He had introduced her to the other students who had watched the Mettaton movies with him. Steve, Melody, and Hannah had been happy to watch the movie with them.

 

Even now, stray people would stop and see what the movie was about. Especially during the fighting scenes.

 

Hazel was currently bent forward, elbows on her knees, and holding her cheeks in her hands, thoroughly engrossed.

 

Her brow was furrowed in concentration, and she looked utterly adorable.

 

And the way she pursed her lips at a particularly exciting scene.

 

Pale pink lips that were soft and…

 

No! Bad Papyrus! Stop thinking about her like that!

 

Turning back to the movie, he reached for some popcorn…

* * *

 

Hazel was craving something to chew on while the fighting was reaching it's climax.

 

Reaching for the bowl on Sans’ lap, her hands brushed with someone else's…

 

Looking, she saw Papyrus with the biggest blush she ever seen on him.

 

“S-sorry…” she said taking her hand back.

 

She then noticed the bowl was empty.

 

“I'll, uh, get some more, okay?”

 

Before anyone could say anything, she picked up the bowl and scurried off to the kitchen.

 

Putting another satchel of popcorn in the microwave, she tried to convince herself that she did not love Papyrus.

 

It was just a crush. He was really nice, and charming, and cute, and…

 

She didn't actually love him, it was just a phase!

 

If some other guy showed her as much attention, she'd like him this much too!

 

...Not that she could prove it.

 

Putting on a poker face, she took the bag from the microwave and emptied the warm, tasty contents into the bowl.

 

She'd just have to stay strong for now.

  
And above all else? Make sure Papyrus never finds out about how she feels about him!


	35. Being Sick Sucks

The rain lasted on to Tuesday, stopping for maybe an hour or so before starting up again.

Frisk was still avoiding Sans, and vice versa. Papyrus and Hazel worried, but weren’t quite sure how to approach the situation. After all, they weren’t even sure what was wrong, and both times they asked either of them, the two had danced around the subject.

Wednesday had started rather abruptly with a rather worrying sound.

“AH-CHOO!!”

Hazel had come upstairs to check on Frisk who was running a tad late, only to see her sitting on her bed, slouched over and looking miserable.

“Frisk? Are you alright?”

The monster ambassador looked up blearily at Hazel.

“M’fine… Just… running a bit slowly t’day…” came a nasally reply.

Frowning slightly, Hazel stepped closer and pressed her hand against Frisk’s forehead. It was burning to the touch.

“You have a fever.”

Frisk gently brushed Hazel’s hand away.

“Nuh-uh… m’okay.” She said trying to stand up.

Hazel nearly panicked when Frisk tilted to the left, only to catch herself.

“Frisk, I’m sorry, but I think you should stay here today…”

“But I can’t.”

“I’m sure the teachers will understand you not being able to attend, Frisk.”

“The monsters on campus need me to be a role model… I can’t get sick.” Despite her words, she let Hazel help her sit back down.

Sighing, Frisk laid down. “You win…”

“On the bright side, I can keep you company while you stay here today?”

“I’m feeling better already.” Frisk said with a smile.

Turning over and closing her eyes she mumbled, “Tell Sans and Pap I’m sorry and I will see them later, okay?”

“Okay. Get some sleep for now, alright?” Hazel said pulling up Frisk’s comforter.

“Way ahead of you.”

Hazel smirked before going downstairs.

 

* * *

 

 

“You sure you got this Hazel?” Sans said over the phone. After telling Papyrus about Frisk’s condition, Pap had texted Sans, who had left earlier, about what was going on, only for him to call in a frenzy about if she was going to be okay. He was calmer at the moment, but still being a mother hen.

“You bet your funny bone I do! I know how to handle a sick person Sans. Frisk will be just fine.”

“Skeletons don’t actually have a funny bone. That’s a nerve, not a bone.”

“Touché. But stop worrying. I’m already confused enough how a skeleton can have bags under their eye sockets like you do as is. And would you mind if I had Miss Toriel’s number?”

“What for?”

“Frisk said she missed her Butterscotch Cinnamon pie, so I was going to try and make it to help her feel a bit better. I need to ask her the recipe.”

“Okay. I will text it to you. And I am trusting you to keep a good eye on her, got it?”

“Aye aye, cap ’n Sans!”

“Heh. Alright. Keep me notified.”

“Will do. Later.”

Hanging up and handing the phone back to Papyrus, she smiled.

“THANK YOU FOR WATCHING FRISK. I KNOW YOU WILL DO AN AMAZING JOB.”

“Oh? How so?”

“I BELIEVE I’VE SAID THIS BEFORE. BECAUSE YOU HAVE A VERY CARING PERSONALITY.”

“…You’re sweet.”

“I MEAN IT.”

“So do I.” she replied stubbornly.

Papyrus stared at Hazel, who looked into his eye sockets just as intently.

“HAZEL… IS THAT ALL YOU-“ he started before a buzz filled the room, emanating from Hazel’s phone.

“I can get that in a minute. It’s probably just Sans sending me Miss Toriel’s number. You were saying?”

“…I HAVE TO GET TO MY CLASSES. I WILL SEE YOU LATER, OKAY?”

“Alright. Have a wonderful day.” She said with a small smile.

“YOU TOO.”

 

* * *

 

 

Once out the door, Papyrus started running at almost break-neck speed. He was going to school by himself today, so why use the car when he could exercise and get the idea of wanting Hazel to think of him as more than a friend out of his skull?

He wanted to ask her what she really thought about him besides him being “sweet” and “the nicest guy she knows”. But he didn’t want to push her away by doing that.

And he wanted to be able to tell her in turn how beautiful she was, how her eyes almost glowed like fireflies did when she smiled, or how her laugh sounded like heaven on his nonexistent ear drums. How fun she was to be around, how cute it was the way she subconsciously motioned her hands to animate whatever she was talking about. And how much he wanted to pull her close and caress her cheek with his thumb as he pulled her in for a soft, slow kiss. Even if he didn’t have lips…

He started running faster. At this rate, probably not even Undyne could keep up. He even started dodging and jumping over things that weren’t even in his way just to keep her off his mind! Mail boxes, trash cans, even a car! It wasn’t working. She was driving him crazy! And she wasn’t even trying!

It took him four minutes and he was already outside his first class, “French 101”.

Papyrus then realized…

He was in love with her. This was beyond anything platonic.

But the question remained... how did she feel in return?

 

* * *

 

 

“Okay, so, a cup of butter, not to be confused with buttercups, eggs, cinnamon sugar, butterscotch flavoring, and flour?”

“And some normal sugar as well, my child.”

“Oh, okay. What kind of flour?”

Hazel was rifling through the pantry for some of the ingredients to make the Butterscotch Cinnamon pie as Toriel guided her through the steps over the phone. The oven was already preheating, which had been a challenge seeing as Toriel had to try and remember what temperature it had to be, as she used her fire magic to cook.

Even if it was over a phone, it reminded her of baking with her nana. That was the only kind of cooking Hazel knew. Toriel made it fun, making jokes about baking and reminiscing about her younger days, like when she won her first baking competition with this pie.

“That was how I met my husband. He was crown prince back then, and was one of the judges… He made me laugh so hard when his eyes widened at the first bite and almost shoved the whole piece in his mouth! But he still retained his proper dining etiquette. Even when we were separated for so long, the thought of him that day still made me smile no matter how mad I was at him…”

“That’s beautiful. You must be deeply connected with him then…” Hazel said before continuing with “Love like that is very special…”

“… When a monster chooses a spouse, they are bonded through the soul. If their mate dies, they will too not long after. It depends between boss monsters and normal monsters about how long. The stronger the monster, the longer they can hold it off. The only exception is if they have a child not completely grown. In that case, the remaining monster parent will continue living until the child is fully mature.”

Hazel paused in washing the dishes, a feeling of slight remorse at Toriel’s words filled her chest. She didn’t want to think about her friends dying. Ever. It made her worry.

“Don’t worry Hazel dear… It’s a part of life. We monsters can live very long lifespans. Centuries in fact. It’s seems only fair we give our lives for our children. Humans unfortunately don’t live as long as we do, so some are lucky to be able to see their great grandchildren. Monsters rarely get to see their first grandchild. But do not mourn for us dear, we are happy to get what time we have on this earth.”

“Alright. But I still feel a bit sad. I can’t help it. But as long as it is something that makes you happy, I can understand.”

“Thank you. Do you have anybody you find special Hazel?”

“…Not in particular.” Not thinking of tall skeletons. Nope.

“No?”

“I don’t think so.” And not ones with red scarves and a one of a kind laugh either.

“Are you absolutely sure?” Toriel teased.

“…Maybe?” No thoughts of how romantic and sweet one of those could be. Certainly not.

Holy biscuits, this woman was persuasive.

“Okay. I like someone. A lot. But I can’t be with anyone. Especially not him.”

“Is he with someone else?”

“That’s not it, though I’m not sure if he is or not. Still, I’m not cut out for true love and happy endings, despite how much I love writing about them…”

“Who told you that?” Toriel said, her voice sounding slightly angry.

“Someone I thought I could trust. But regardless, I just think it’s a crush. It will pass with time.”

“What’s he like?”

“Charming, gentle, brave. Almost like…”

“…Yes?”

“…Like a knight. That’s what Mettaton meant! That means Alphys and probably Undyne ship me with Pa-!” Hazel froze, realizing who she was on the phone with. “Um… never mind…”

Toriel chuckled.

“Don’t worry dear. I won’t tell anyone about your crush.”

“Thank goodness. You are an angel Miss T.”

“No problem! But… Can you keep calling me that? I kind of like it.”

“Miss T? Sure.”

“Wonderful! I believe you should check on the pie now by the way…”

“Oh, sure-Oh my gosh that smells heavenly!! Frisk will definitely feel better after a piece of this!”

Toriel chuckled.

 

* * *

 

 

Sans was just finishing up the Schrodinger’s Cat theory discussion with his last class when he received a text.

**_Hazel: Butterscotch Cinnamon pie was a success! Frisk is doing good. She didn’t care for the medicine you picked up though. She says she now has a personal vendetta against you. There’s a piece of pie waiting for you and Pap when you get home btw._ **

“Alright. Now, next two sessions will be the last before exams. Make sure to keep your notes and study them thoroughly. No _skin_ off my nose if you fail. It’s your grades.” He said to his students. “Class dismissed.”

As his students filed out, he felt his phone buzz again.

**_Pap: HEY SANS, WOULD YOU MIND IF I TALKED TO YOU ON THE WAY HOME? I NEED SOME ADVICE…_ **

His brow rose at that.

**_Me: Sure bro. What’s eating ya?_ **

**_Pap: I WILL EXPLAIN LATER…_ **

Sans sighed. He probably could guess what this was about.

After all, it was hard to miss all the signs Sunday evening. Papyrus finally had come to terms with his feelings for a particular human girl.

And seeing as he hit all dead ends when looking into her past, he figured he would have to have a little chat with her soon as well.


	36. The Big Shocker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow... This story is almost a year old!! Hopefully I can update again on the anniversary? If I have WiFi again soon that is...

Frisk sat on the couch in the living room watching television as Hazel was sitting in a recliner drawing.

Currently nothing good was on, so it was basically just channel surfing. So, turning it off, she decided to bug her roommate. If it could be called bugging when Hazel didn't really mind being bothered.

"Yo, Haze. Whatchya drawing?" Frisk asked.

"Something for Alphys and Undyne. It's a little something for their Christmas present."

"Are you painting them something?"

"Indeed."

"What?"

"... I'm going to paint Undyne in that armor she keeps at her house and Alphys in a princess dress as Undyne is boldly professing her undying love to Alphys."

"Oh. My. Gumdrops... That is going to be adorable!" Frisk exclaimed.

"I thought so. They are a true inspiration for people in love everywhere..."

"...Are you making all of the presents your giving people handmade?"

"Most of them."

"Good luck... With the exams coming up, I know you are going to need it."

"Thanks."

Yawning, Frisk stood up.

"I'm going to go lay down so I can be awake when Papyrus cooks dinner."

"Okay. Sleep well. Text me if you need anything."

Yawning out an "Uh huh", Frisk climbed up the stairs.

Hazel went back to drawing for about ten minutes when the doorbell rang.

Standing up, she went to go answer the door.

Peeking through the window by the door, she saw a young man with glasses standing outside. He seemed vaguely familiar...

Opening the door with caution, she greeted him.

"Hi. Hazel, right? It's me, Felix. The guy from the mall? And, uh, before that?"

Felix from the mall...

"Oh! Right! You must be here to see Papyrus so you can apologize. You look different with glasses..." Hazel commented.

"Yeah... Coach wants me to get used to playing with contacts."

"... I think you look better with them on. But Papyrus isn't here yet. You can sit inside and wait if you would like..?"

"... Sure."

Allowing him in, he pulled off his Letterman jacket and hung it up. She showed him to the living room where she was sitting.

"Would you like a drink?" she offered.

"If you wouldn't mind. Just got out of practice."

Nodding, she walked into the kitchen and poured what was left of the lemonade she and Papyrus made into a glass.

She couldn't stop the thought of him kissing her hand that day from popping up.

Shaking her head, she turned and walked back into the living room. Felix was peering at her open sketchbook sitting on the coffee table.

"You draw this? It looks amazing!" he said.

"Yeah. I major in writing and painting. That's just something I am making for two friends of mine."

"I think I recognize them... They were there with you at the mall. The red head looks like a total bad ass!" he smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Undyne can suplex a large boulder like it's a baseball."

"I wouldn't want to be on her bad side..." Felix muttered.

"She is a bit rough, but she's very sweet once you get to know her." Hazel said to ease his fears somewhat.

"I bet. Still, she'd so dominate on my wrestling team."

"I wouldn't doubt that in the least." she replied with a smirk.

"... You wouldn't happen to know a Melody here by any chance, would you?" he suddenly asked.

"... I do. She watches movies with Papyrus and Sans sometimes. But I don't know her very well... She seems nice though."

"Oh. Does she... Seem like she's doing alright? I mean, does she seem happy?" he asked, his tone becoming somber.

"She looks like she's doing good... Is she an ex of yours?"

Felix paused, then started laughing.

"No. She's my half sister. I just worry about her is all... We don't really talk much. She likes to pretend I don't exist..."

"Did you make her mad?" Hazel asked.

"Not me. It's more her mother can't stand me. Our dad had an affair with my mom and left them when he learned I was a boy... It's... Kinda stupid, but people do stupid things..."

"She shouldn't be mad at you. You didn't ask to be born in that kind of situation. But I do agree. People do stupid things sometimes... Still, there's always the chance they make up for their mistakes. Like you are currently doing. Even if her mother never forgives you, Melody might realize she shouldn't hold something you never had a choice in against you."

"... You're a really nice person Hazel. And you seem very smart."

"Um... Thanks? But there's a difference between being smart and being wise. I'm smart, sure, but I don't think I qualify for the mountain hermit bit just yet."

Felix started laughing.

Just then, the front door opened.

"HAZEL? SANS AND I ARE HOME. HOW IS FRISK?"

"There's Papyrus." she whispered to Felix. "She's doing well. She ate most of the pie, and came downstairs for a bit. She's asleep now, but someone is here to see you." Hazel called out.

"SEE ME?" Papyrus asked, finally walking into the room.

Felix stood up and started fidgeting.

"Papyrus, this is Felix. He was one of the boys in the group who... Um..."

"Were harassing him and hurt you..?" Sans finished. He stood behind Papyrus, leaning against the doorway. He certainly didn't look happy...

"Well, yes. But Felix said he wanted to apologize for his part in it." Hazel said meekly.

Papyrus studied Felix.

"I REMEMBER YOU... YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TRIED TO STOP THE OTHERS. THERE'S NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR. YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG."

"I could have done a better job trying to keep them from doing what they did though..." Felix said.

"... MAYBE SO, BUT YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON. SO, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR."

"... Hazel was right. You are a pretty awesome guy."

Hazel blushed and stared at the wall to avoid eye contact with Papyrus or Sans, the latter seeming to have calmed down.

"WELL, HAZEL IS QUITE KEEN ON RECOGNIZING GREATNESS WHEN SHE SEES IT." Papyrus boasted.

"Yeah, I was just telling her how smart she is."

"INDEED! SHE KNOWS A LOT OF THINGS THAT ALWAYS CATCH ME BY SURPRISE."

"You two do know I can hear you, right?" Hazel muttered through a large blush.

"Just as well as we can see you don't accept compliments easy, kid." Sans said.

"... I'm going to go check on Frisk."

Felix turned.

"Hey Hazel, can I ask you something real quick?"

"... I suppose. Shoot."

"I know it seems kinda sudden, but I think your pretty cool. Most girls aren't as chill as you, so would you maybe want to go on a date or something..?"

The whole room went silent.

Hazel stared at Felix. Papyrus stared at Hazel. Sans stared at Papyrus. Felix looked shyly at the ground...

Hazel's mind was racing.

' _Date? Did he say date? With me? Why? I'm not worth dating! Besides, what about-?'_

Hazel shot a quick glance at Papyrus. She couldn't quite read his expression...

But... This was her chance. Felix seemed nice. And he seemed interested in her...

Maybe if she went with Felix on one date, she'd realize her crush on Papyrus was nothing serious?

"I... I suppose..?" she finally stumbled out.

"Really? Great! How does Saturday night sound?" Felix asked.

Papyrus turned and quickly left the room, Sans following after.

Hazel suddenly had a sinking feeling in her gut. She now felt terrible.

But she needed to know...

"That's fine..." she uttered. "I... Um, have to... Go now... It was nice seeing you again on more pleasant terms, and I... Look forward to our... D-date."

"Sure. I'll see you Saturday then."

Nodding, Hazel tried not to run out of the room as Felix left.

She tried not to think about how much she felt like dirt right now.

And she tried to pretend she just imagined the hurt in Papyrus' eye sockets when she said yes...


	37. You Know of Course, This Means War...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy anniversary guys! Thanks for your continued support!! X3

"Papyrus, let me in so we can talk about this."

Sans leaned against the door frame of Papyrus' room, trying to convince his little brother to let him in.

"FOR THE LAST TIME SANS, I'M OKAY! J- JUST... JUST LET ME GET MY SCHOOL WORK DONE IN PEACE SO I CAN GET DINNER READY, OKAY?!"

So far it wasn't going good.

"Look… Papyrus, you can't let yourself get all worked up over something like this. Hazel is a nice girl, sure. But I am sure there are a few other-"

"DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE SANS! MAYBE YOU ARE OKAY WITH GIVING UP SO EASILY, BUT I'M NOT!"

Sans paused.

Papyrus suddenly realized what he said.

"SANS, I-"

"I'm just going to my room for a bit Pap. I got to get prepared for the exams coming up... Study hard, okay?"

Papyrus opened the door, but Sans already took a shortcut to wherever.

Sighing, he stepped out and shut the door behind him.

He needed to talk to Hazel. Maybe she just agreed to go on a date with that boy because she panicked? She seemed very flustered when he asked her.

He also needed to talk to Sans and apologize, but knowing him he most likely didn't go to his room like he said he did. The best time to do it would be when he came back from wherever it was he went.

Walking up the second flight of stairs, he decided to check on Frisk as well. Standing in front of the door, he noticed three sticky notes on it when he went to knock.

_**Got called in to work a late shift at the library. Will be working late shifts until Friday. Butterscotch and cinnamon pie in fridge. I will get dinner on my way home. Don't wait up.** _

_**P.S. Take care.** _

_**P.S.S. Don't worry about picking me up. I think I need to start doing some more walking again.** _

At the bottom was Hazel's name in her rushed handwriting.

She wasn't here. Was she avoiding him..?

Maybe she actually did like that Felix human?

Papyrus felt a pain in his rib cage as he finally knocked on the door.

"FRISK? HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

"I feel a lot better Pap, you can come in if you want?" replied the slightly more nasal version of Frisk's voice.

Opening the door, he tried to ignore Hazel's scent in the room.

"Papyrus? What's wrong? You seem down."

Frisk sat on her bed, reading a textbook while surrounded by papers. She looked at him, concern in her reddish brown eyes.

"FRISK? WOULD YOU MIND IF I ASKED YOU A QUESTION?"

Frisk smiled. "Papyrus, you can always ask me anything."

"'... WHAT WOULD YOU DO, IF SOMEONE YOU JUST REALIZED YOU LOVE SUDDENLY STARTED DATING SOMEONE ELSE?"

Frisk sat completely still, eyes wide in shock.

"FRISK?"

She suddenly shook her head, and gave another smile, but this one didn't seem genuine like the last.

"Would they seem to be in love with that other person?" she asked.

"IF I HAD TO GUESS, THEY SEEM LIKE THEY GET ALONG, BUT I'M NOT SURE IF SHE LOVES HIM OR NOT."

Frisk hummed in thought.

"I don't know Papyrus. I do know one thing however, if I really loved them, I wouldn't give up on them. After all, there's a chance they might realize they don't feel that way about the other person."

Papyrus sighed.

"BUT WHAT IF THEY DO FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM?"

Frisk was still smiling, but her eyes became sad. "Then you have to let them go... If you truly love them, you want them to be happy."

A sharp throbbing seemed to pierce right through Papyrus' ribcage. He had to fight to keep the tears from forming in his eye sockets.

Could he let Hazel go if she realized she loved another person..?

"THANKS FRISK. I'M GOING TO DO SOME TRAINING AND THEN MAKE DINNER. I'LL SEE YOU LATER."

Frisk tried to respond, but he already fled the room. Sighing, she steeled her resolve and picked up her phone. She could put aside her pain to talk to Sans for Papyrus' sake.

* * *

Said older brother was currently pacing back and forth with great agitation in his office at the college.

He barely used the space other than for somewhere to hold his books and to get away from people for awhile.

One of his Gaster Blasters floated in a corner, it's eye lights following his every movement as he jerked his body back and forth, back and forth.

Just what was Hazel thinking?! Why would she all of a sudden agree to go on a date with some guy who was associated with the jerks who not only tried to hurt Papyrus, but landed her in the hospital?!

Maybe he wasn't bad, and he wasn't responsible, even tried to stop it, but he was still a complete stranger to her, and her being as shy as she was, wouldn't she turn him down?

There was no doubt she was clueless to Papyrus' feelings for her, but his brother was still hurt in the end! He even snapped at him!

"I give up too easily. Maybe that's true, but Papyrus would never say that. So obviously he's hurting something bad. What should I do..?"

The Gaster Blaster tilted to the side slightly. Had it a body, it would resemble a skeletal dragon cocking it's head in confusion. Sans noticed, his smirk tinted with sadness.

"You wouldn't have any suggestions, would you..."

It wasn't a question, more of a statement. However, the entity still nudged his owner's elbow.

"What? You actually have an idea?"

Communication with the Gaster Blasters was telepathic in a sense, but it wasn't through words. It was more with scents, sounds, and images conveyed through the mind. Right now, a picture of the library Hazel worked at, as well as the girl in question flashed in his mind, as well as a sound resembling a muffled conversation.

"You think I should go talk to her?"

A low chuffing sound in agreement...

"I suppose. Not like I have anything better to do at the moment..."

Taking a shortcut, he missed the text that buzzed on his phone, sitting on his desk...

* * *

The truth was, Hazel wasn't called in for the late shift, but more volunteered. She sat in the back room, sorting through the books to put away, sniffling and feeling like a coward. She tried not to cry, but she couldn't hold them back every time she thought of the way Papyrus looked at her the last time she saw him.

She was rubbing the skin around her eyes raw trying to keep the tears from falling, and trying not to be too loud, despite being there alone. Mr. Kirk had handed her the spare keys and told her to take her time. She was more composed then. Had she not been, he probably would have stayed and tried to talk to her.

Mr. Kirk was always nice to Hazel. He treated her like a niece almost. Before Papyrus and Sans and everyone else came along, she'd always talk to him about her troubles. But right now, she just wanted to try and stop thinking about how much she hated herself at the moment.

_**'See? How could you possibly have someone love you when you only hurt them? Papyrus probably hates you right now. As do Sans and Frisk and Alphys and Undyne... You just love making others miserable, don't you?'** _

' _I didn't mean it... I just want to know if I really love him is all... I never wanted to hurt him...'_

_**'Excuses! You know you were going to hurt him eventually. You always hurt people you get close to. You did it on purpose because you wanted to try getting close to him.'** _

"Stop it..."

_**'I wonder if you will kill him like you did-'** _

"Shut up!"

Hazel was sobbing again.

Maybe she should just give up. It wasn't fair to either Papyrus or Felix for her to try getting attached to them.

A knock sounded from somewhere...

Wiping away her tears again, she flinched when she scratched herself on the raw skin. She felt something warm drip down from the spot. She touched it, and looked at her hand, seeing blood.

Clenching her hand into a fist, she looked for the source of the knocking. It sounded again, over by a window. Standing and moving over cautiously, seeing as it could be a burglar or serial killer, she peered through the glass.

Sans stood there, looking upset.

She gulped.

She knew he'd come find her eventually. She just hoped he would come later than sooner.

She pointed to the front door, grabbing the keys off the desk as she moved out into the main room to open it.

He beat her over there, like she expected. Opening the door, she spoke after a sigh.

"I figured you would come sooner or later..."

Sans didn't say anything as he closed the door.

"I'm guessing you either came to talk or yell at me or something, so let's just sit down and get this over with. I'm sure Mr. Kirk won't mind a teacher in the back office..." she muttered.

Sans still stayed silent.

Walking back into the back room, he followed. When they were finally seated, he sighed, then spoke.

"I'm not going to lie and say I am not mad Hazel. After all, my brother is pretty upset. But I want to know why you are going out with that boy and why you're hiding here instead of facing Papyrus about it."

Hazel hid behind her bangs. "...I'm afraid..."

"Of what?"

Her hands instinctively clutched her chest.

"... Do you love him or something? This human Felix?"

Hazel shook her head.

"I've only known him for a grand total of twenty minutes. Minus the incident. He's nice, but I don't know enough to feel anything for him..."

"Why are you going out with him then?" Sans pressed.

"I need to know something..."

"Like what?"

She pursed her lips. Her hands squeezing tighter.

"Hazel, do you love my brother?"

She couldn't stop the sharp intake of breath.

Clapping one of her hands over her mouth, she tried not to look at Sans, afraid to really. But her eyes wandered to him anyways.

He seemed stunned.

"So the thing you need to know is if you're really in love with Papyrus or not..."

She stayed silent.

"Is that it Hazel?"

She sighed.

"... Yes. I don't know if I really love him, or just the fact he cares about me..."

"So you're going out with Felix because he's been nice, and your trying to gauge your feelings based on that..."

"Yeah... I didn't mean to hurt Papyrus. I just... I don't know how to go about this..."

"In that case, go on the date. For one, it's too late to back out now, and two, even though it's a dumb idea, maybe you should see if you really like Papyrus like that."

"But it's a dumb idea..."

"Just because it's a dumb idea, doesn't mean it's a bad one. Besides, I personally want to know if you are serious about my brother. He deserves to be with someone who really loves him. If that's you, then great. If not, at least you are smart enough to realize it and let him be happy with whoever it is."

Hazel just nodded. She couldn't tell him she can't be with Papyrus either way. He would ask more questions, and those she wasn't ready to answer. If she ever would be...

"Would you like a drink while you're here? If you have to leave, I understand. It's just creepy here at night by yourself."

"You honestly want me to stick around?" Sans asked.

"You were mad for a good reason, and even though I still did something stupid, I hope you are still my friend. Besides, we don't really talk much. I was hoping you could explain more about the underground to me. I just always find it amazing how you all survived down there so long. I know you all must prefer the surface a million times over, but I love hearing about the fact that it snows under the earth and flowers that can repeat what you say to them..."

"We're still friends. Just be more careful next time. Papyrus isn't fragile, I know, but he's always been my baby brother..."

"Papyrus is lucky to have a brother like you."

"… Thanks. I may be a lazy bag of bones, but I do love my bro… Now, do you have any ketchup?"

* * *

Papyrus stood, heaving breaths as tears poured down his face. The training area he and Undyne used was almost completely wrecked...

He had went all out, the thought of Hazel with Felix, holding hands, hugging, _kissing_... If he had blood it would be boiling!

He didn't want to hurt Felix. He just wanted Hazel to realize that he was waiting for her to notice him. To see him as a love interest instead of a friend...

He had an idea, but the thing was, it went against his morals...

But he really didn't want to just let Hazel go.

Brushing off the dirt from his battle body, he sighed.

If love was war, the human Felix better be prepared for a prank war!


	38. Stage One is a Success

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so sorry for not being around... T.T Life has been hectic recently, but it's starting to look up, so hopefully there will be more updates soon! Sorry for the shortness!! :'3

The morning after her chat with Sans, Hazel woke up groggily, sleep still trying to glue her eyelids shut. Exhaustion after a night of crying, then staying up late talking would do that to a person.

She still wasn't sure how she made it home...

Yawning, she sat up, stretching her arms out above her head, and scratching at an itch somewhere in her mess of a bed head. After hanging out with Sans and chatting about the strange phenomena in the underground while she organized and put away the books in the library, the conversation diverted into a discussion about books, and their favorite authors. She stoutly professed her fondness of poetry and fictional works, while Sans stuck to his guns about the wonders of scientific theory and the perks of non fiction. Surprisingly, they both had a similar interest in William Shakespeare. However, Hazel was more into 'A Mid-Summer Night's Dream' and 'Twelfth Night', whereas Sans had a deeper appreciation for 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth'. She had to stop before making an "Alas, poor Yorick" comment. She realized that he might not find a joke about holding a skull in hand while quoting about death funny, being a skeleton himself.

That was a definite bad idea...

But, whatever time they made it home, it was beyond late. Crawling out of her bed, Hazel stumbled over to her clothes, picked out a random outfit, showered, and dressed herself in the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, she noticed the scratch from last night was worse than she thought. Only in appearance however.

Oh well. It would heal eventually.

In the meantime? Coffee was first on her agenda. Which also meant she would have to face Papyrus…

Well, she honestly wasn't certain why he got so upset over her agreeing to the date. Wait. Was he upset because he thought she was cancelling the spaghetti cooking lessons for a date?

She had to reassure him right away that wasn't the case! She definitely wanted to cook with him this weekend if he was still up to it! Filled with a sudden burst of energy, she made her way confidently (yet quietly) down to the kitchen. Setting up the coffee pot, she started cooking an apology breakfast. It was just bacon and eggs with a side of toast, but she tried to make it cute by arranging the plate into a smile.

By the time she turned to get her coffee, she heard the front door open and shut. Panicking, she first stood by the table with her arms crossed, before deciding that made her look angry, and rearranging them to be resting on her hips, only to worry that looked provocative, to moving her arms to wrap about her waist, seeing as she couldn't figure out what else to do with them.

"HAZEL? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Looking up, she blushed when she realized he saw her fidgeting like a nervous ninny. Which Hazel honestly wouldn't blame him if he thought as much. She _was_ kinda nervous honestly...

"I-i made you breakfast… and wanted to apologize for making you upset last night…" she explained.

He seemed to perk up a lot at that.

She smiled, and continued.

"Pap, just because I am going on a date on Saturday doesn't mean we can't still make spaghetti this weekend. I wouldn't plan anything over that."

She missed his slight grimace.

"Besides, I honestly rather be cooking than going on a silly date…"

His smile came back, but not as full.

"IT'S ALRIGHT HAZEL. I ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY BREAKFAST."

She smiled brightly at his acceptance of her apology. Papyrus inwardly groaned despite his joy at seeing her smile. Hazel still planned on going on the date with human Felix. But at least she said she'd rather be cooking with him than going on a date. Still, she might end up changing her mind on the date. It could end up Felix was incredibly charming, and ended up swooping Hazel off her feet before he could!

Thus, he had a plan. It included the massive amount of prank items he confiscated from his brother before realizing it was a thankless task, seeing as he had an almost endless supply, which he kept put away from Sans' practical joker hands regardless. The less he had the better…

It also kept his brother from knowing about his dastardly plan. Sans would make sure to never let him live it down if he knew Papyrus was planning a prank war…

Sitting down at the table, he initiated stage one, making sure Hazel suspected nothing.

"HOW WAS YOUR NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY HAZEL?"

Looking up after a sip of her coffee, she grinned.

"It was good. Not sure how late I stayed, but it was nice."

Hazel refrained from mentioning Sans being there. He has asked her last night not to mention him being there to Papyrus.

"YOU MUST KNOW A LOT ABOUT BOOKS WORKING IN A LIBRARY."

"I know a few things…" she shrugged.

"COULD YOU RECOMMEND ANY GOOD BOOKS?"

Hazel let out a hum in thought.

"You like puzzles, so I would say a mystery would probably suit your tastes."

"A MYSTERY SERIES? I WILL HAVE TO TRY THEM!"

"I hear Sherlock Holmes is the best in that category. I've been meaning to read that series myself."

So far, stage one was going swimmingly! Now, just to wait until Saturday...


	39. The Calm Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yayz! New chapter!! >:3

Sitting at her desk in her room, Frisk grumbled as she blew her nose into a tissue, tossing it into the overflowing trash can with its' fellow fallen comrades. Using some more of the hand sanitizer she had close by, she cleaned her hands and tried to get back to studying.

Being ill on Saturday sucked. Especially seeing as it put a damper on her plans to spy on Hazel's date. When she had texted Sans about it, he responded with a flat 'no'. He also said to not worry about it. Other than that, neither of them had spoken to one another yet.

Papyrus and Hazel had seemingly made up, but it was obvious Papyrus was anxious still whenever he came into their room to bring Frisk some soup and medicine. Especially if Hazel was present. Like he was trying too hard to hide something.

Hazel seemed to notice something was off, but what with working overtime at the Library due to the number of students preparing for the upcoming exams, she barely ate before sleeping. Thankfully, she got off around two, and would be free until Monday when the actual tests started.

Knock knock...

"Who's there?" she asked.

"Nutella."

"Oh geez... Nutella who?"

"I'm Nutella you." Sans said before shuffling in with soup and some medicine.

"If you aren't telling me who you are, then that means you are a stranger. I don't accept stuff from strangers. Especially nasty medicinal herbs." Frisk scoffed.

"Tori taught you well. But these herbs are good for you."

"Says the guy who is paranoid about modern medicine. Give me a good reason not to call out 'Stranger Danger'."

"I'm cute..?"

Frisk chuckled.

"Besides, Papyrus said he was going to need me to watch you tonight. So, guess who gets to sit on you?"

"I'm too old to need a babysitter bonehead. Nice try."

"Even if I can tell you what's going on when Papyrus tries to spy on Hazel's date?"

"Say what?"

"Take the medicine and I will tell you all about it."

Frisk glared.

"I swear, you'd be one hell of a con man with those bribery skills..."

"Exactly why I chose to be a humble hot dog seller." He stated, setting down the soup and medicine in front of her.

"Until you became a college professor..." she said, staring down the medicine before quickly gulping it down, hacking at the foul taste before taking a large swig of the soup. "I swear, I just want to punch you sometimes..."

"You wouldn't hit a guy with one HP, now would you?" Sans asked, leaning against the wall next to her desk.

"Cut the crap. I know you wouldn't die unless it was my intention to kill you. You know it too. Now, spill the beans."

"Okay, Papyrus is planning on following Hazel and that Felix boy, so, seeing as I am watching you, I'm sending two of my Gaster Blasters to watch him. Anything they see, I see. So, when Hazel leaves, Papyrus will follow, and my Blasters will be right behind."

"Sounds good..." Frisk said, sipping the last bit of soup.

Handing the bowl to Sans, she looked at him in a contemplative way.

"I have a question though..." she mumbled.

"Yeah?" Sans asked.

"Have you ever wanted to do something like... go on a date with someone you like?"

He almost dropped the bowl looking at her in shock. His face blue, he cleared his nonexistent throat. He was going to tell her a lie about never being interested in anyone but...

...But before he spoke, Papyrus' words from a few days ago rang out in his head.

_**"MAYBE YOU ARE OKAY WITH GIVING UP SO EASILY, BUT I'M NOT!"** _

Giving up too easily...

Papyrus hadn't meant to be hurtful when he said it, but it did hurt because it was true. He _did_ give up too easily.

He looked at Frisk, taking in her beautiful eyes, her full mouth, thinking of her sweet yet fiery personality and that accidental kiss in the park.

Maybe he should try to fight for her affection instead of just letting go all the time. Maybe she'd see he really felt something serious for her.

"I dunno. Would you like to?"

He would swear he hadn't seen her face as happy as that in a very long time.

* * *

Hazel stumbled into the room after a long shift at the Library. Right now she wanted a long nap before getting ready for her date at six with Felix.

Waving to a happy Frisk, she practically crawled over to the bed and passed out after barely remembering to set a wake up alarm.

It felt like she had just closed her eyes when it went off hours later. She felt more rested, but was still in a bit of a daze. Laying still a moment longer, she stretched and started getting ready.

Felix had approached her at the Library yesterday to give her his number seeing as he forgot before, and to ask her if 6 was a good time for him to pick her up. She agreed, and saved his number. She had received a few texts from him since then, telling her how excited he was, and asking her opinions on certain things.

She had been busy with work and hadn't seen much of Papyrus. She felt a bit sad about that honestly. But she had found those books for him. Plus, she was starting to earn some bonus money for Christmas presents. She had something special planned for everyone. Of course, some people she still was trying to figure out gifts for. She also had to tell him that her grandparents were more than enthusiastic to have him and everyone else over for Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, after all the hubbub about tests was over, she needed to get in touch with Undyne and Alphys for the Halloween party.

The holidays definitely looked busy…

After taking a shower, Hazel put on a beige sweater, a pair of jeans, and her normal black vans with the pink and white stars. Felix said he just planned on taking her to dinner at a diner and then to a movie, so she didn't need to overdress.

Picking up the Sherlock Holmes books she got for Papyrus, she walked down a flight of stairs to the boy's floor. Stopping outside his door, she knocked.

A loud bang sounded.

"J-JUST A MOMENT PLEASE!"

"It's just me Pap…" she called.

The door cracked open.

"HAZEL, YOU LOOK LOVELY FOR YOUR… DATE. WHAT BRINGS YOU BY? SHOULDN'T YOU BE READYING FOR YOUR DATE?"

"Can't I stop by and come see you first? I brought you those books I told you about. Besides, you're my friend. Felix is nice, but if he can't understand me wanting to see you, then I wouldn't want to go on even one date with him. I haven't seen much of you the past two days, so I just wanted to see how you are doing. So, do you have time..?"

He looked torn for a second. But slowly smiled, stepping out and shutting the door.

"FOR YOU HAZEL, ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD."

Feeling her chest flutter, she took his hand when he outstretched it. He always had to be such a gentleman to her. But something recently was telling her that maybe it was more than just out of friendship.

Walking hand in hand with him, she wondered if Papyrus was starting to feel more than platonic feelings for her.

The thought both worried and excited her. And her excitement worried her even more. If it ever came down to Papyrus telling her that…

That he loved her… would she have the willpower to turn him down?

Oh no… what if he cried..? She didn't think her heart could take it…

"HAZEL? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU FROZE IN THE HALLWAY SUDDENLY…"

Hazel shook her head.

"Sorry Papyrus. I just kind of dozed off for a second… Still trying to wake up properly."

"UNDERSTANDABLE… SANS IS _ALWAYS_ TRYING TO WAKE UP PROPERLY. I DON'T THINK HE EVER LEARNED HOW."

Giggling at his joke, Hazel smiled.

Maybe she was just worrying too much. She would cross that bridge when she came to it, if it ever showed up…

* * *

"You know, you got to admit they look cute together."

Sans looked over from Hazel and Papyrus to Frisk right next to him. They were sitting in the living room, conveniently seeing the scene between the two.

"I suppose. But Hazel always seems to have something holding her back. Like she has a devil lurking over her shoulder, whispering into her ear… I saw her in the Library one night. She was upset because of making Pap upset, and she seemed to be arguing with herself… But I can tell she isn't crazy. It sounded like guilt over something. Something from before…"

"You don't think Gaster is..?"

"No. That wouldn't be his style. Besides, she seems to talk to him also, but in a different way. My Blasters have seen her talk to him like a friend. But this other presence is different. One thing is for certain though. The DETERMINED soul inside her shields her from most of it. Still, I can tell it says some nasty things."

"Do you think she's haunted..?" Frisk asked worriedly.

"... I think I need to ask Alphys for an old book of Gaster's…"


	40. Of Shoe Strings and Missing Things

"Say what Alph?!" Undyne howled after spewing out a mouthful of tea. Alphys, sighing while grabbing a handful of paper towels and handing them to her girlfriend, repeated herself.

"The spy Mettaton hired to check in on Hazel and Papyrus for us claims the reason Papyrus hasn't shown up to training recently is because he spends almost all his time outside of school in his room where strange sounds have been coming from. And, might I add, a strange male human has just escorted Hazel away from the house  _alone_ after giving her a flower. A rose in fact… All sign pointing that Hazel is on a date and Papyrus is upset because of it."

"That's what I thought you said… But how?! Hazel can't seriously have accepted some random guy's offer for a date! She's too shy for that! Plus, it's obvious she's head over heels for Papyrus!"

"I don't know… But we need to do something! Operation: Hazardous Pretzel Ship is in jeopardy." Alphys stated dramatically.

"Maybe she's trying to make Pap jealous? I've seen a lot of humans do that in anime. To get a rise out of him so he will step up and admit his feelings?"

"I think Hazel would be a better developed heroine than that, but maybe?"

"I need to call Papyrus and tell him he needs to monster up and tell her! Otherwise she might give up!"

* * *

Papyrus sat in the diner Hazel was in with Felix, inconspicuously disguised with a trench coat, a battered fedora and Groucho Marx glasses. He had followed Felix's car here without a hitch. More than a few people gave him funny looks when he walked in, but obviously because they admired his amazing disguise! Not that anyone could tell it was a disguise of course!

The point was, the two people he was following hadn't noticed him at least. The human Felix was reading a menu while Hazel was completely absorbed into gazing at the flower Felix had given her right before leaving. How cheeky! First showing up 10 minutes late, then giving her  _one_ rose?! Hazel deserved at least two  _dozen_  roses for how lovely she was!

"I'm glad you picked pink instead of red." Hazel finally said, breaking the silence. Papyrus wondered at her words. Did she not like the color red? He suddenly wondered if she didn't like him romantically because he always wore a red scarf and gloves...

"Well, seeing as pink roses are for admiration instead of true love like red ones, I thought it would be more appropriate. After all, we still barely know each other." Felix replied.

Hazel smirked. "Exactly. It's shocking to find someone who understands the language of flowers. It's a pleasant surprise however."

Papyrus never knew flowers had a language. Echo flowers repeated what you said to them after all. He'd have to ask Flowey about it sometime. After all, who would know the language of flowers better than a talking flower?

"I only know about roses unfortunately. My aunt is a botanist and she told me their meanings." Felix admitted before giving his order to the waitress.

Hazel did the same before replying with, "My friend Papyrus ironically gave me Tiger Lilies along with Frisk when I was in the hospital. I'm not sure if he knew their meaning when he gave them to me, seeing as my grandmother told him they are my favorite, but it's kind of appropriate I suppose."

"What do they mean?" Felix asked. Unknown to them, the skeleton in the next booth was silently asking the same question.

"Confidence. The ability to believe in yourself. Thanks to him and all the new friends I made because of him, I've started learning how to believe in myself more and more…"

Papyrus smiled, pointing out a vanilla milkshake to the waitress off his menu. He couldn't talk, seeing as he knew his voice would be a dead giveaway to Hazel that he was here. Even if he wanted to turn and hug her at the moment…

Silence followed until their orders arrived. Papyrus was starting to wonder if he even needed to prank Felix.

"You know Hazel, you're pretty cute when you talk about flowers."

Hazel blushed with a small smile.

"Uhm… Thanks?"

"No problem."

Felix took a sip of his soda only for it to suddenly explode on him.

"What the hell?!"

Oops. Maybe making Hazel give him her beautiful smile had suddenly changed Papyrus mind. This was war. Just because it  _seemed_  peaceful didn't mean he should let his guard down. Undyne had taught him better.

Just as Hazel grabbed some napkins to help dry Felix off, Papyrus' phone rang. Undyne's ringtone in fact. Hazel paused, hearing it and he panicked, tossing his phone into a close by fish tank and ducking under the table.

Thankfully she seemed more interested in helping Felix dry off.

* * *

Brushing it off to the thought that maybe Undyne had accidentally called her before hanging up, Hazel continued drying off Felix.

"That was weird your drink exploded… Are you okay?" she asked.

"Y-yeah. Would it be alright if we leave? I can get you some popcorn at the movies?" Felix offered.

"Sure. I'm not very hungry anyways."

Splitting the bill, Hazel stood. Felix followed, tripping however. His shoelaces were tied.

"How did your shoelaces get like that?"

"Probably some kid did it when we weren't looking. But that's okay."

Making it outside relatively safely, they got into Felix's beat up Ford truck.

"So, what movie did you have in mind?" Hazel asked him as he put the key in the ignition, silently begging for anything but a cheesy rom com.

"Does a Horror movie sound alright?"

"Hmm. Which one?"

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Felix replied.

"Nice save. Anything without a half decent plot and I'd ask you to take me home now." She joked.

"So, you really seem to like Papyrus a lot. Any chance I have competition?"

"..."

Hazel froze. Was it  _that_  obvious she adored him?

"Don't worry. Besides, thinking about it, I think you might be more of a big sister figure anyways." Felix said.

Hazel let out a sigh in relief.

"I noticed you seemed kinda tense ever since I asked you out. Why did you accept anyways?"

Explaining it to him, Hazel felt more relaxed. Felix seemed pretty cool. Maybe he would want to be friends? Papyrus seemed to like him already. Then again, he was the type to like everyone.

"You know, seeing as you give good advice, would it be okay if I give you some from a guy's perspective?" Felix asked.

"Why not? I could definitely use it."

"Be honest with him. Tell him you like like him, but also that you're afraid of relationships. And maybe you should give him a chance? I know the day Joey and the others hurt you, Papyrus terrified me. He was so angry and afraid because you were hurt. I know he has to adore you at the very least. I think he'd understand and do anything for you."

"But I don't want to hurt him. There's something about me… I always hurt the people closest to me…"

"I'm going to tell you something my grandmother told me once. You're going to hurt the people you love no matter what you do. Nothing can change that. But forgiveness is a powerful thing. No matter your past, you can always be forgiven. The problem is whether or not you choose to forgive yourself."

Hazel remained silent. Something about what he said struck her deep.

Finally turning the key, the car was silent.

"Uhm…" Felix said. He tried again.

Nothing.

"Excuse me for a minute."

As Felix got out to check the engine, a loud expletive could be heard. Then laughter.

"Is everything okay?" Hazel asked as Felix returned to the cab, a goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah. I think you may have to call your boyfriend to pick you up sis."

Huffing at his insinuation, she replied. "And why is that?"

* * *

"You can't be serious?!" Frisk howled from her school notes. Then she dissolved into chuckles alongside Sans.

"I'm serious! Papyrus stole his car engine! I have never been more proud of him."

"So he's holding it hostage until Felix returns Hazel home? I never knew he had it on him…"

"Guess no Texas Chainsaw Massacre for Hazel."

A ringtone could be heard.

"I bet that's her." Frisk said.

Nodding, Sans picked up. "Yo, Sans speaking. Uh huh… You serious? A'ight. I'm on my way."

Chuckling, he smirked.

"Be right back. She needs a shortcut home."

"I'm surprised she still hasn't asked you about those yet." Frisk shook her head in confusion.

"Probably 'cause she thinks of it as what it is. Magic." he said with Jazz hands.

"Just go pick her up you goofball." Frisk grinned.

* * *

 

Sneaking in through the back door, Papyrus smiled. Operation: Ruin Hazel's Date with Human Felix was a success!

He'd left a note to Felix about holding his engine for ransom until Hazel was returned. And that if she returned home having been smooched, the deal was off. Leaving it unsigned, he made his getaway perfectly clean!

"Hello Pap." Hazel said from the kitchen table.

"GAH! UHM, HAZEL! HOW WAS YOUR DATE?"

She smiled deviously. "You tell me. After all, you were there the entire time."

"HOW DID YOU... I MEAN, NO I WASN'T SILLY! I WAS..."

Giggling, Hazel smiled.

"Only the Great Papyrus could 'successfully jape' Felix by stealing his car engine."

Sighing, Papyrus sat down across from her.

"ALRIGHT. I JUST... HAZEL, THERE'S SOMETHING I NEED TO TELL YOU..."

The girl across from him gulped.

"Papyrus, I think I know what you want to say. But... I need to tell you something else first..."

Glancing down at her hands, she frowned.

"Papyrus, I need to tell you some things about me that... aren't very nice. You need to know me for what I am before you tell me what you want to say..."

"YOU MEAN THE SCARS ON YOUR BACK..?"

"Yes. Because the fact is Papyrus, I am  _indeed_  a murderer..."


	41. Sorrows Come Not as Single Spies...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And you guys thought it would be another month before I updated. ^_~
> 
> Warning: Sad stuffs ahead...

“HAZEL…” Papyrus said in his version of a whisper.

 

“The word on my back… I-i earned it. But I think you need to know this story from the very start.”

 

With a sad smile, she looked into his eye sockets.

 

“It's a long story. And it isn't for the feint of heart, but it starts with my mother. Her name was Kathryn Parker. She was born into a wealthy family, and... like it sometimes happens, her father arranged it where she would marry a business associate of his to merge both for the greater good. Which was what eventually happened, but something else happened first…”

 

Leaning back into the chair, she continued.

* * *

 

Sky blue eyes studied the map carefully. The chatter in the pub around the owner of these eyes, a young woman with long, honey blonde hair, was fast and in a language completely foreign to her. As was this map she bought…

 

Kathryn Parker grumbled slightly. Her father just had to pick Germany as a vacation spot for her after the meltdown she had during wedding rehearsals. But who could blame her? Charles Baxter was a handsome man, sure, but he was so… cold. She despised the thought of marrying him. Even though she knew it was for her family's sake.

 

So, here she was, sitting with a map of town, going to see the ruins of a historical landmark. This small town was pleasant. Very picturesque, and friendly. Just... too quiet…

 

Sighing, she stood, suddenly knocking her chair into a gentleman behind her, tripping him in the process.

 

“Oh heavens! I'm so sorry! Oh, I-i mean ‘Es tut mir Leid!’" she said to the form getting up off the floor.

 

“You're fine missy. No harm done. Might want to work on your accent a bit however.”

 

“Right. German isn’t exactly my first language. Or even third… You speak English very well however.”

 

“Sure can. Then again, quite a few of us in town can. It helps with the tourism.” He said, dusting off his pants. Shaggy, black hair covered his eyes as he looked at her with a warm smile.

 

Suddenly, she found herself blushing. He was a very handsome man. Shaking it off, she suddenly pulled out the map.

 

“Well… if it isn't too much trouble, could you tell me where this is..?” she said, pointing to the castle ruins.

 

“Oi,  _ that  _ old heap of stones? Surely a pretty girl like you has other things to do than study rocks all day?” he muttered.

 

Blushing again she replied with, “Well, I am afraid I am not aware of the area admittedly. Any chance you can recommend someplace more interesting?”

 

“Indeed I can.” He said with a tilt of his head, revealing his golden eyes beneath his thick bangs, instantly taking her breath away.

 

“Names Sam. Yours?”

 

“K-Kathryn…”

 

Kissing her hand, he grinned.

 

“Charmed.”

* * *

 

“So, my mother met the man who would be my father…”

 

Hazel grinned.

 

“Dad would then talk about the week after how he taught her about horseback riding, and when he brought her to the river for swimming, and how she was so beautiful when he finally kissed her one moonlit night… and how he begged her to stay with him in Germany where he wanted to open a garage to fix up cars in Berlin. But she couldn't. She couldn't leave her family to be bankrupt back in America.”

* * *

 

“... You know I don't want to do this Sam… But my family needs me to marry Charles. My sister won't survive on the streets. She's only 15… Mom is sick, and my father needs me…” she said, suitcase in hand as the taxi waited to take her to the airport.

 

Sam stood there with the ring in his hand, staring at it with a heartbroken face.

 

“I… I understand Kat. Just know I'll always love you.”

 

Her breath hitched. The car honked as tears started to fall.

 

“G-goodbye Sam…” she said as she walked away.

* * *

 

Staring down at her hands, Hazel clenched them.

 

“The story probably would have ended there, with my father heartbroken and my mother in an unhappy marriage. But it turns out my mother had ended up pregnant. With twins who were Sam’s. She instantly told her father the truth. Hiding her, she carried the children until she fell down a flight of stairs when her husband eventually found out. She had been trying to run.”

 

“Mr. Baxter wasn't a kind person. He was very jealous, and abusive. When he found out his wife was pregnant by another man, he tried to kill her. She lived, but she went into labor early. Too early… My father was shocked when he received a phone call that he had lost his newborn son and his daughter wasn't likely to survive the night. But somehow, she did. He packed his bags, and instantly flew to America, where my grandfather greeted him. He didn't say much, but handed me over to him, asking him to promise to keep me far away from my mother for her and my safety… Sam wanted to see Kathryn one more time, but she was in shock. She snapped the minute she saw him, claiming never wanting to see him, or the  _ thing _ she created with him ever again… He left, taking me with him, as well as a jar holding my brother’s ashes…”

 

Letting out a sigh, she paused.

 

“HAZEL…”

 

Looking up at Papyrus, she shook her head.

 

“I'm alright Pap… just a sore spot there I suppose. But there's more that needs to be said, much more.”

 

Papyrus paused, wanting to comfort her regardless, but nodding. It was obvious this was important for her to say.

 

“My father may not have been able to save the woman he loved, but he loved me dearly. Especially with how fragile I was. See, when I was born prematurely, my heart wasn’t fully developed. Anything that would send me into shock or get my heart racing too fast could have killed me. So, I ended up a spoiled brat. But even so, I still loved him. He opened up the car repair shop like he always wanted in a town in Florida called Tavares. I’d go with him every day, being baby sat by Miss Garrison, the receptionist when he worked. Nana and grandpa had just moved to America to help him out when she retired. I was five…”

 

Suddenly, Papyrus could sense the pain she had bottled up starting to pour out. Her soul was literally pulsing with sorrow and grief and it spread through the room like a wildfire.

 

“A rainy Tuesday before a visit to my grandparent’s new home… That was the day it all went wrong...”

* * *

 

“Daddy, why is it so rainy?” a little brunette in pigtails said, holding Sam’s hand as they walked from his shop to his house a few blocks away. Her gold eyes looked just like his. Her face was her mother’s however. Except for her smile. That was his smile…

 

“Because it is sweet pea. The clouds are upset because the sun is hiding today.” he told her.

 

“ ‘kay. Why is nana gonna put Amby in the teddy bear I picked out?”

 

Hearing the nickname of his deceased son, he paused a bit. The rain tapping on the umbrella and a car passing the only sound for a few moments.

 

“Hazel, your nana thought it you might want him to be in a teddy bear so you can give him a hug without worrying about breaking his jar. She knows how sad you are about not being able to see him.”

 

“So I can hug Ambrose now?!” she said excitedly.

 

Sam laughed.

 

“Not yet sweetie, but soon. Can you be a good girl and wait patiently for daddy?”

 

Huffing, she said, “I suppose… But only ‘cause I love you daddy.”

 

“That’s my g-”

 

Suddenly, screeching tires and a loud metallic crash could be heard. A semi truck had crashed into a light post nearby.

 

Hazel was instantly frightened. Any closer and it would have-

 

“Hazel! Look out!”

 

The cargo, large spindles of barbed wire came loose and rolled their direction. Sam grabbed her and tried to jump out of the way, only for her to go flying out of his hands as he slipped in the gutter…

 

“Daddy!” Hazel cried, not being heard over the sudden crash of wood and sharp, heavy metal rumbling past like thunder.

* * *

 

“... My father was crushed instantly. I instantly went into shock, and my heart gave out. I blacked out. Next thing I knew I was in a hospital. I saw my chest had been cut up. The nurse told me I had died for twenty minutes. My father had left it in his will that if I hadn’t found a heart donor, he wanted to give me his if something happened to him. It was a match, a shock even for family members. The nurse said it was a miracle the heart transplant succeeded. I thought it was a nightmare. I…” she stopped. A loud sniffling could be heard. “I just wanted my daddy back...” Hazel paused. Her hand covered her mouth as tears started rolling down her cheeks in earnest.

 

Papyrus took her other hand in his. He never knew Hazel went through something so traumatic…

 

“HAZEL, YOU DIDN’T DESERVE THAT. NEITHER DID YOUR FATHER. ACCIDENTS LIKE THAT HAPPEN HOWEVER… I KNOW THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT EASIER, BUT IT WASN’T YOUR FAULT.”

 

“But that’s… not the worst of it Pap.” she said, stroking his hand with her thumb.

 

“No, the worst of it, that part that makes me a murderer, is what happened after. When it was decided by the court that I should live with my mother and her husband…”


	42. ... But in Battalions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Probably a crappy chapter, but I am exhausted tbh... Apologies in advance.

Standing in the driveway of a large house, Hazel frowned. Most five year old girls would be excited to live in such a big, pretty house. She couldn't care less.

 

After all, her father died three months ago. He had been her everything, and she his from the moment he first held her. And now he was gone. Gone, and never coming back…

 

That, and even though her daddy never said bad things about her mother, she knew her mother must not care. After all, how come she would never visit? Even when the court said Hazel had to live with her and her husband she never visited her at the hospital. Nana and Grandpa saw her every day. She didn't even know what her mother looked like besides gold hair and blue eyes. Daddy said she looked like an angel, but Hazel thought that if she was an angel, she was obviously a lousy one. Angels saved people and were good. Her mother didn't even care about her. Or her daddy.

 

A limo had picked her up from nana’s house. The house she used to live in had been sold to pay for the hospital bills and the funeral. Her nana cried, saying she didn't want her to go, but she wasn't legally able to keep her yet. Giving Hazel the teddy bear with Ambrose’s ashes in it, she kissed her goodbye as her grandpa hugged her one last time. He was close to tears himself.

 

Hazel clutched the fluffy, red bear in her arms as she glared at the house.Her mother stood by the door, staring at her in shock.

 

She winced. Even she noticed the black marks on the woman's skin. And she was so thin…

 

Fidgeting slightly, she took a step, faltering slightly, before finally approaching Hazel. Her steps were awkward, as if walking was difficult.

 

Standing a few feet away, she spoke in a timid voice.

 

“H-Hazel? You're so big… I…” clearing her throat, she paused for a second, her voice becoming stern. “My husband Charles is away on business. There's a room for you in the west wing close to my son Marcus’. He's 15, so he's too old to be a playmate to you. The nanny we hired will take care of you. Do your best to… stay out of sight.”

* * *

 

“At first, I was angry. Was I just some burden to be locked away in a room for the rest of my life? But then I realized I was safer there.” Gulping, Hazel paused.

 

“Marcus Baxter and his father were both alike in many ways. Far more than just their looks. Many maids quit because of him. He wasn't happy learning he had a sister-in-law to supposedly compete with. Not that he ever did anything. At least at first…”

 

Papyrus gaped when Hazel parted her hair, showing a nasty burn scar. It was round, like…

 

“He burned me with a cigarette when the nanny wasn't looking one day.”

 

Papyrus suddenly started feeling angry. Very angry.

 

“I won't reveal everything that happened over those two years. At the very least, I was never sexually abused. But the physical and emotional kind was still enough to where I am afraid of people staring at me because I feel like it's either Marcus or Mr. Baxter glowering at me, telling me to die. My mother was too scared to help me. She rarely ever spoke to me honestly.”

 

“WHY DID NO ONE EVER NOTICE WHAT WAS GOING ON…” Papyrus asked. His voice was level, but his rage was growing.

 

“I never left the house… Private tutors can be paid to keep silent, as well as any employees. Any that didn't… were made examples of.” Hazel suddenly grabbed his hands again gently caressing them with her fingers. His anger dissipated slightly. He couldn't get angry right now. She needed him to be supportive right now. Even if she wasn't saying it, she was incredibly fragile right now. She needed him to be there as she bore her soul to him.

 

“The way it happened, how Marcus died… it's still confusing honestly.” She suddenly said. “It was in the attic. Marcus had chased me up there after a girl at school dumped him in front of his friends. He wanted to take it out on me. Somehow, a window broke, and a five story drop was below me as he had his hands around my neck… I blacked out, my body instantly reacting… All I knew afterwards was I was bleeding from broken glass in my hands, Marcus was gone, and my mother was there with a terrified look on her face…”

 

“Marcus had somehow ended up with a stab wound that wouldn't have killed him, but the fall did… a broken neck. His father… carved the word into my back, and told the nanny to dispose of me properly before the police arrived. She instead drove me to a hospital and explained what had been going on. She had been a spy from a rival company, and finally had Charles Baxter and my mother arrested.”

 

Hazel stared into space silently for awhile. However her grip on his hands was firm.

 

“It was said I killed Marcus. I don't know really. But some part of me feels like maybe I did. And no matter what he did, what all of them did, killing someone out of revenge…” she looked deep into his eye sockets.

 

“The question is, am I safe to be around? How do I know if I won't just snap and suddenly kill someone? Are you sure you can... love someone like me Papyrus?”

 

He said nothing. Hazel started sobbing. He stood as she started speaking through her tears.

 

“I… I know. Y-you hate me now? *hic* I don't b-blame you. I can't s-stand myself-!”

 

Feeling a gentle touch on her cheek, she froze as he brushed her bangs out of her eyes. His other hand lifted her chin.

 

“HAZEL. I DON'T HATE YOU… I NEVER COULD EITHER. EVEN IF YOU KILLED HIM, I KNOW YOU WOULD NEVER HURT ANYONE ON PURPOSE. OR WITHOUT REASON. HOW CAN YOU HATE YOURSELF? YOU ARE SO AMAZING… YOU ARE SO SMART, SO BEAUTIFUL, INSIDE AND OUT… YOU CARE ABOUT EVERYONE SO DEEPLY, YOU HURT YOURSELF WHEN THEY ARE HURT. YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO MAKE SOMEONE ELSE SMILE. YOU ARE SINCERE AND HONEST. AND I CAN'T HELP LOVING YOU FOR THESE QUALITIES AND SO MUCH MORE.”

 

Finally leaning forward, he gently brushed his teeth against her lips.

 

“AT LEAST LET ME TAKE YOU ON ONE DATE. A REAL ONE THIS TIME. I WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE, AND HOW MUCH YOU MEAN TO ME. PLEASE HAZEL?”

 

“... But we barely know each other. How can you love me?”

 

“I'VE NEVER FELT LIKE THIS BEFORE FOR ANYONE… PLEASE LET ME TAKE YOU ON A DATE HAZEL?”

 

“... You're too good for me Papyrus… but okay… j-”

 

The rest of her sentence was cut off by another kiss. She melted, her brain reduced to a giant lint ball yet again.

 

She was afraid she could get addicted to this. Even though he had no lips, his teeth were gentle. Not quite like flesh due to their firmness, but still soft. 

  
Despite her reservations, she would go on a date with Papyrus.


End file.
